Jongdari typhoon "demoted" into tropical storm, the state of alert maintained

The typhoon has become a tropical storm. But that does not change much for the Japanese facing a flood of rain, Sunday, July 29th. The typhoon Jongdari, with winds of up to 180 km / h, which hit the Japanese territory in Ise, Mie prefecture, at about 1 am Sunday (16:00 GMT Saturday), has indeed been downgraded in a tropical storm. But the state of alert remained in many provinces.

After pouring torrential rains on the east of Japan, the storm was moving westward on Sunday at midday, and the authorities urged tens of thousands to evacuate before rainfall intensifies

"We have not stopped being on alert since the catastrophic floods" in early July, said Koji Kunitomi , a crisis management officer in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan. "Fortunately, at this stage there is no new flooding" he told AFP

Chugoku, the western region, was hit by rains unusually large at the beginning of July as well as by floods and landslides, which killed about 220 people.

On Saturday, television footage showed high waves crashing against rocks on the coast. Shimoda, southwest of Tokyo, and trees shaken by wind and rain.

In addition, a man was reported missing in Kanagawa Prefecture (near Tokyo) after several vehicles were stranded on wave-beaten seafront, Kyodo News Agency reports.

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Preventive evacuations

Before the arrival of the typhoon, the authorities warned the population of the risk of torrential rains, landslides, very strong winds and large waves. They had called for preventive evacuations.

"We urge people, especially in the areas hit by the rains [au début de juillet] to be very attentive to the evacuation councils" told the press a senior official Meteorological Agency

The Shobara authorities in Hiroshima Prefecture, West, ordered the evacuation of some 36,400 residents as a precaution. "Even though it did not rain here, we ask people to evacuate before dark" explained a city official. Televisions showed employees and residents hastily stacking sandbags to block possible floods.

More than 410 domestic flights have been removed so far due to the typhoon's arrival, and ferry connections between Tokyo and neighboring islands have been suspended due to high waves, according to Japanese media reports.

The worst disaster in decades

Floods in Chugoku are the worst disaster caused by bad weather that Japan has known for decades. Many people in the affected areas are still living in shelters or damaged homes.

The authorities are now particularly cautious because many people were then blocked because they did not follow evacuation orders, issued late, according to critics.

"We are paying attention to the areas where the banks of the rivers are being restored, because this will be the first heavy rains since the disaster" said an official of the prefecture of Okayama, Chugoku.

"We are afraid people will not be able to evacuate due to strong winds or floods blocking roads" Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki told reporters want "people evacuate in advance" .