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The second major typhoon to hit Japan in a week brought strong winds and rain over the southern islands of the country, ripping off roofs and leaving homes without power as it passed through an area vulnerable to floods and mudslides.
The meteorological authorities warned of the downpours of what could be a record storm. Warnings were issued for days so that people were prepared to take shelter and stock up on food and water.
Several rivers on the main island of Kyushu, in the southwest, were at risk of flooding, according to authorities. Evacuation notices were issued for more than 50,000 people in Okinawa and Kyushu, according to public broadcaster NHK, including Kagoshima and Nagasaki prefectures.
Images released in the media showed people beginning to congregate in gyms in Kyushu before the winds picked up at night. There would be social distancing measures in shelters to combat the coronavirus pandemic, according to authorities.
Typhoon Haishen, which means “sea god” in Chinese, was showing maximum sustained winds of up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour after hitting Okinawa and the southern island of Amami Oshima early Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Alerts for winds, waves, high tides, rain and lightning were issued at Amami Oshima, as well as evacuation orders.
At first there were no reports of injuries in Okinawa, where more than half of the approximately 50,000 US servicemen stationed in Japan live under a bilateral agreement.
Haishen was not only strong and equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane, but also large, the meteorological agency said.
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