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Typhoon Hagibis: recovery and rescue in full swing after deadly storm Typhoon Hagibis: recovery and rescue efforts in full swing
(about 4 hours later)
Helicopters plucked people from their flooded homes on Sunday as rescue efforts went into full force following Typhoon Hagibis, which drenched Tokyo and surrounding areas and left at least seven dead and 15 missing. At least 25 people have died and 15 others are missing after one of the most powerful typhoons in decades struck wide areas of Japan’s main island on Saturday night.
Public broadcaster NHK gave a higher toll than the government, reporting at least 10 dead and 16 missing plus 128 injured a day after Hagibis, one of the strongest storms to hit Japan in decades, made landfall south of Tokyo and moved northward. Media reports said thousands of troops, firefighters and other emergency workers had been dispatched to rescue people trapped by floodwater in the worst-hit areas, as utilities raced to restore power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
“The major typhoon has caused immense damage far and wide in eastern Japan,” a government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, told reporters on Sunday, adding that 27,000 military troops and other rescue crews were deployed for the operation. Typhoon Hagibis, described by meteorologists as the strongest storm to hit Japan for more than six decades, caused widespread damage across low-lying land in central and eastern parts of the country, with rivers bursting their banks after hours of torrential rain and howling winds.
News footage showed a rescue helicopter hovering over a flooded area in Nagano prefecture, where an embankment of the Chikuma river had broken and unleashed sheets of water across residential areas. The helicopter plucked those stranded on the second floor of a home submerged in muddy waters. Hagibis, which means “speed” in the Philippine language Tagalog, forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights and affected shinkansen bullet train services, the Japanese state broadcaster NHK said, reporting that more than 100 people had been injured.
Aerial footage showed tractors at work trying to control the flooding. Meanwhile rows of bullet trains were left sitting in a pool of water at a depot. Hagibis also caused disruption to major international sports events due to take place over the three-day weekend, including the rugby world cup, forcing the cancellation of several pool matches.
A stretch of Fukushima was also flooded, with only the rooftops of homes visible in some areas. Parts of nearby Miyagi prefecture were also under water. The Tama river, which runs by Tokyo, overflowed its banks. Millions of residents of Tokyo awoke to sunshine and clear skies, and many train lines resumed services, but authorities warned that rivers in eastern Japan could still overflow and inflict more damage.
Authorities lifted rain warnings for the Kanto region around a becalmed Tokyo, where stores reopened and many train lines resumed operations, but they warned there was still the risk of rivers in eastern Japan overflowing and inflicting fresh damage. The prime minister, Shinzō Abe, held an emergency meeting and offered his support to all those affected by the disaster – the second destructive storm to hit Japan in the space of a month.
The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, convened an emergency meeting of relevant ministers and sent the minister in charge of disaster management to the affected areas. He offered condolences to the families of those who were killed and said the government was working to save people’s lives and property. “I extend my condolences to all those who lost their lives and offer my sympathies to all those impacted,” Abe said.
“The government will do everything in its power to cooperate with relevant agencies and operators working to restore services as soon as possible,” Abe said. The government had also set up a task force to deal with the damage, NHK reported. “With respect to blackouts, water outage and suspension of transportation services, we will do our utmost to bring about a swift recovery. We ask the public to stay vigilant in case of landslides and other hazards.”
Authorities warned of a continuing risk of mudslides. Among the reported deaths were those whose homes were buried in landslips. Other fatalities included people who were swept away by raging rivers. The government said 27,000 members of the self-defence forces and other emergency workers had been sent to Nagano prefecture – one of the worst-affected regions – and other affected areas to help with the rescue effort.
Suga said that damage to housing from the flooding was extensive but promised recovery was on its way. About 376,000 homes were without electricity and 14,000 homes lacked running water, he said. TV footage showed military helicopters airlifting stranded people from homes that had been flooded by river water. Some families, including those with small children, had been forced to seek safety on their roofs.
Boats as well as helicopters were sent to the flooded areas, while rescue crews dug through dirt in other areas to try to get people out from homes buried by landslides. One clip showed a helicopter hovering over a flooded area in Nagano prefecture, where an embankment of the Chikuma River had broken and unleashed sheets of water across residential areas. The helicopter plucked those stranded on the second floor of a home submerged in muddy waters.
Several train service in the Tokyo area resumed in the early morning while others were undergoing safety checks and expected to restart later on Sunday. Aerial footage showed tractors at work trying to control the flooding. Meanwhile, rows of bullet trains were left sitting in a pool of water at a depot.
Ruling party politician Fumio Kishida said the government would do its utmost in rescue operations, including making sure that those who moved to shelters were taken care of. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was wrecked by a deadly tsunami in March 2011, reported irregular readings from sensors monitoring water at the facility.
He acknowledged Japan’s power grids needrf to be strengthened so people in disaster areas could rely on timely information. “So many risks remain and it is a reality we must stay on guard,” Kishida said on an NHK TV news talk show. “We must do our utmost. In these times a disaster can hit anytime.” Emi Iwasa, a spokeswoman for Tokyo Electric Power, said the storm had triggered 11 leak alerts at the plant, eight of which were confirmed as having been caused by rainwater. The utility has not confirmed if any radioactive water leaked into sea.
The Rugby World Cup match between Namibia and Canada, scheduled for Sunday in Kamaishi, northern Japan, was canceled as a precautionary measure, but organisers announced that Japan would play Scotland as scheduled on Sunday evening. Away from the plant, a stretch of Fukushima was flooded, with only the rooftops of residential homes visible. Parts of nearby Miyagi prefecture were also under water. The 7 which runs by Tokyo, overflowed its banks.
All matches on Saturday had been cancelled, and stores and amusement parks closed. Authorities at one point issued evacuation advisories and orders for more than 6 million people as the storm unleashed heavy rain and winds.
As the typhoon bore down on Saturday with heavy rains and strong winds, the usually crowded train stations and streets of Tokyo were deserted, with people advised to stay indoors. But life was quickly returning to normal under crisp clear skies on Sunday. “The major typhoon has caused immense damage far and wide in eastern Japan,” Yoshihide Suga, the government’s top spokesman, told reporters.
Evacuation centres had been set up in coastal towns, with tens of thousands seeking shelter. Kyodo News service said evacuation warnings had been issued to more than 6 million people. “The water came up higher than my head in the house,” said Hajime Tokuda, a resident of Kawasaki, near Tokyo.
The typhoon disrupted a three-day weekend in Japan that includes Sports Day on Monday. Qualifying for the Formula One race in Suzuka was pushed from Saturday to Sunday. In Higashimatsuyama city, north-west of Tokyo, rice and flower farmers were counting their losses, with water submerging warehouses full of freshly harvested crops.
The authorities had repeatedly warned Hagibis was on par with a typhoon that hit the Tokyo region in 1958. But the safety infrastructure that Japan’s modernisation had brought was apparent. The typhoon six decades ago had left more than 1,200 people dead and half a million houses flooded. “We never had a flood like this before in this neighbourhood,” said one farmer, who declined to give his name. “We cannot even go into the flower warehouse due to the water. I don’t know where to start cleaning up this mess.”
Authorities warned of a continuing threat from mudslides. Among the reported deaths were those whose homes had been buried. Other fatalities included people who were swept away by raging rivers.
Suga said that damage to housing was extensive, but promised that recovery was on its way. By Sunday afternoon, more than 160,000 homes were without electricity, NHK said, adding that about 1,000 people in Chiba, east of Tokyo, were experiencing water shortages.
The widespread loss of electricity has again raised questions about Japan’s power infrastructure, weeks after Typhoon Faxai destroyed or damaged 30,000 houses in Chiba and caused extensive power outages.
The improvements in safety infrastructure that accompanied Japan’s postwar modernisation were apparent, however. The authorities had repeatedly warned that Hagibis’s strength was on a par with a typhoon that hit the Tokyo region 61 years ago, but that storm, Typhoon Ida, left more than 1,200 people dead and half a million houses flooded.
The Rugby World Cup match between Namibia and Canada, scheduled for Sunday in Kamaishi on the country’s north-east coast, was cancelled, but the decisive fixture between Japan and Scotland in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, will go ahead the same evening.
Qualifying for the Japanese Formula One race in Suzuka was pushed back from Saturday to Sunday.
JapanJapan
Natural disasters and extreme weatherNatural disasters and extreme weather
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