Typhoon Shanshan Triggers Mass Evacuations In Japan: Power Outages, Factory Shutdowns, And Tragic Losses

Millions of people were ordered to evacuate as Typhoon Shanshan battered southwest Japan on Thursday, bringing powerful winds and torrential rain.

The storm caused widespread power outages, disrupted air travel, and forced major factories to cease operations.

Typhoon Shanshan Triggers Mass Evacuations In Japan

At least three people have been reported dead, and numerous others injured, in what authorities have described as potentially one of the most severe storms ever to impact the region, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Toyota was among the companies that halted operations at all of its domestic plants due to the storm. Other automakers, including Nissan and Honda, along with semiconductor firms such as Renesas, Tokyo Electron, and Rohm, also temporarily suspended production at some facilities.

In Miyazaki city, located in southern Kyushu, funeral parlour employee Tomoki Maeda was in a hearse when the typhoon struck, causing windows to shatter, power lines to collapse, and the walls of some buildings to be torn down. "I've never experienced such strong winds or a tornado in my 31 years of life," Maeda told Reuters.

The typhoon, with gusts reaching approximately 50 meters per second, strong enough to topple moving trucks, was positioned near Unzen city in Nagasaki Prefecture at 3:00 p.m. and was moving northward, according to the weather agency.

More than 200,000 households across seven prefectures lost power in the afternoon, as reported by Kyushu Electric Power Co. The utility earlier confirmed that the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai city, where the storm made landfall, remained unaffected., as reported by Hindustan Times.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi informed the press that three people had died, and one person was reported missing in incidents related to the typhoon. Additionally, the disaster management agency reported that 45 people had sustained injuries.

The storm is expected to linger over Kyushu for the next few days before approaching central and eastern regions, including Tokyo, over the weekend, according to the weather agency. More than 5.2 million people have been issued evacuation notices across Japan, mainly in Kyushu, but also in some areas of central Japan, where heavy rain triggered a landslide on Wednesday.

Madoka Kubo, who operates a hotel in the historic riverside city of Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto prefecture, reported that all her reservations had been cancelled. She is now sheltering elderly evacuees from nearby areas.

Airlines, including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, announced the cancellation of nearly 800 flights. Train services in many parts of Kyushu have been suspended, and hundreds of bus and ferry services have also been halted, according to the transport ministry, as per media reports.

Typhoon Shanshan follows closely on the heels of Typhoon Ampil, which earlier this month also led to blackouts and evacuations across Japan.