Okinawa: Maximum alert for typhoon Neoguri, 500 thousand people evacuated
Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Japanese Weather Department has issued a state of high alert and at least half a million people were evacuated to emergency centers, ahead of the arrival of typhoon Neoguri on the southern islands of Okinawa.
Schools and airports in the region have been closed, with
forecasts of strong winds and torrential rains. The state of maximum alert means
people's lives could be in danger and the authorities have put special measures
in place to deal with the situation. There is a high risk of floods, landslides
and damage, with gusts that may exceed 250 km per hour.
Late yesterday evening the Japanese weather agency issued an alarm for the
largest of the islands that make up the prefecture of Okinawa, where more than
1.2 million people live, along with the islands of Miyako. Waves of up to 14
meters are being predicted.
According to the forecast, this could be one of the strongest storms to hit
Japan in recent years. "There is a high risk of winds with unprecedented
force - confirms the weather agency spokesman Satoshi Ebihara - and torrential
rains.". They are appealing to people to avoids any "outdoor activities that
are not strictly necessary."
The super-typhoon Neoguri comes less than a year from Haiyan, which killed more
than 7,300 people in the central Philippines last November. "The situation
is abnormal - adds Satoshi Ebihara - the danger is imminent." Some islands
affected by the passage of the typhoon, including Kyushu, the third largest of
the Japanese archipelago, are also home to nuclear power plants; as a precaution,
the authorities have prepared the shutdown of the plants.
Neoguri is the eighth typhoon to pass through the region this season, but is considered
the most powerful of all. After Japan, it will head east across the East China Sea.
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14/10/2019 13:57
08/10/2022 15:49
12/09/2022 12:09
