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A powerful typhoon hit the eastern coast of Japan (between Nagoya and Osaka) on the night of Saturday 28 to Sunday 29 July (local time). In a country already severely affected by deadly floods in early July, the authorities had to order evacuations .
Baptized Jongdari, the typhoon is accompanied by winds up to 180 km / h. It has so far been stationed offshore and reached Japanese territory at Ise, Mie prefecture at about 1 am Sunday (6 pm this Saturday, French time), according to the chain of NHK national television.
The typhoon, which had already caused torrential rains over eastern Japan, was heading west while maintaining its power, according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency. Television images showed high waves already crashing on the rocks on the coast at Shimoda southwest of Tokyo, and planes struggling to land in the face of violent gusts of wind.
Man missing near Tokyo
According to Kyodo News Agency, a man was reported missing in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, after several vehicles, including an ambulance, found themselves stranded on a seaside road battered by waves .
Jongdari is expected to reach Chugoku, the western region, on Sunday, where unusually heavy rains caused floods and landslides in early July that killed about 220 people. More than 4,000 survivors still live there in temporary shelters and many residents in their damaged homes.
Before the arrival of the typhoon, the authorities warned the population of the risk of torrential rain, landslides, very strong winds and large waves . They called for preventive evacuations. "We want people, especially in the areas hit by the rains (early July, ed), to be very attentive to the evacuation councils," a Minako Sakurai meteorological officer told reporters.
The order to evacuate given to tens of thousands of inhabitants
The authorities of Shobara, in the prefecture of Hiroshima (west), ordered the evacuation of some 36,400 inhabitants as a precaution . "Even though it has not rained here, we are asking people to evacuate before dark," a city official, Masaharu Kataoka, told AFP.
In Kure, also in the prefecture of Hiroshima, about 6,380 inhabitants were ordered to evacuate, according to Japanese media . More than 410 domestic flights have been canceled so far due to the arrival of the typhoon, and ferry connections between Tokyo and neighboring islands have been suspended due to high waves, according to Japanese media reports.
The authorities are now particularly cautious because many inhabitants were then stuck for lack of following evacuation orders – which are not binding in Japan – issued too late according to critics . "We are paying attention to the areas where the banks of the rivers are being restored because they will be the first big rains since the disaster," said an official from Okayama prefecture in Chugoku. , Tadahiko Mizushima
"We fear that people will be unable to evacuate because of strong winds or floods blocking the roads," worried the Hiroshima governor in front of the press, Hidehiko Yuzaki. Japan, currently in the typhoon season, is regularly hit by major storms during the summer and fall.
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