Jelawat, the seventeenth typhoon to hit Japan this year, bore down on the country’s main island. A typhoon is a violent tropical storm that occurs in the northwest Pacific Ocean, typically consisting of heavy rains and winds that maintain speeds greater than seventy-four mph. These horrific storms can cause death and billions of dollars in property damage.
The storm initially struck Okinawa Island late Saturday, September 29, resulting in one person dead, one missing, 145 injured, and twelve other prefectures. Many who were injured were blown over by strong gusts of wind or hit by airborne objects. Approximately 300,000 households were left without power. Tens of thousands were advised to evacuate. Heavy rainfall continued along Japan’s Pacific coast as well as in the Honshu-Koshinetsu region of Tokyo. James Reynolds, a storm expert, explained that the damage could have been much worse if the buildings had not been specially constructed to withstand such storms.
Jelawat’s winds reached a high of 100 mph. Rainfall accumulation was expected to reach twenty inches per twenty-four hours in some areas; residents in the Tokyo area were warned to stay inside.
National Broadcaster NKH said that transportation was halted with the canceling of 584 domestic flights. In addition, a number of the Shinkansen “bullet” trains were canceled, including some connecting Tokyo to the northern prefectures.
