[ad_1]
(CNN) – Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated out of the way of a powerful typhoon that is expected to make landfall in southwestern Japan on Sunday.
Typhoon Haishen has sustained winds of 195 kph (121 mph) and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph), the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic, CNN Weather reported Sunday.
It is the second powerful storm to hit the region in a week. Typhoon Maysak, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane with winds of at least 130 mph, followed a similar path to Haishen.
Haishen hit the Ryukyu Islands off the southwest coast of Japan on Sunday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to the region and leaving thousands of homes without power.
The storm is currently near Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture and will head north towards the west coast of Kyushu Island from Sunday night to Monday morning local time, according to the Agency. Japan Meteorological Service (JMA). The storm is expected to continue its path northward and hit the Korean Peninsula in the next 36 hours.
The JMA said Haishen has weakened slightly, but still calls for the utmost caution due to heavy rain, strong winds, high waves and storm surge. The storm is forecast to bring between 100 and 150 millimeters of rain to mainland Japan and the Korean Peninsula, some areas with more than 200 millimeters of rain.
In Kagoshima prefecture, 246,251 people have been evacuated, according to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK. Another 36,392 people have been evacuated from their homes in Nagasaki prefecture before the typhoon.
More than 200,000 homes are without power in Kagoshima and 3,930 homes in Okinawa.
More than 500 flights were canceled in southern Kyushu and Okinawa on Sunday, as Haishen affected transportation networks.
It is the second powerful storm to hit the region in a week. Typhoon Maysak, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane with winds of at least 130 mph, followed a similar path to Haishen.
A cargo ship with 43 crew members and nearly 6,000 cows on board disappeared near southern Japan during Typhoon Maysak last Wednesday. Search and rescue efforts were suspended on Saturday due to bad weather, according to the Japan Coast Guard. Three sailors were rescued from the sea, but one of them later died, the Coast Guard said.
Maysak also brought destructive winds and heavy rain to the Korean Peninsula.
On Sunday, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had called a meeting in the damaged regions to discuss recovery from the typhoon. Kim reportedly ordered the army to assist in reparation efforts in Hamgyong provinces and fired the South Hamgyong provincial party chief.
According to KCNA, Kim had asked Pyongyang citizens to volunteer for repair efforts in areas damaged by Typhoon Maysak. The North Korean leader said that more than 1,000 homes were destroyed and houses and public facilities in South Hamgyong province were flooded, causing the displacement of many people.
North Korea is now preparing for Typhoon Haishen, according to KNCA, which reported that efforts included educating residents on disaster response guidelines, evacuation sites and evacuation route.
The Korean Meteorological Administration predicts that the typhoon will not hit the Korean peninsula directly as originally thought, but will travel along the east coast.
The agency had issued a preliminary typhoon warning for all South Korean provinces, as well as a heavy rain warning for the northern province of Gangwon.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Thousands Evacuated As Mighty Typhoon Haishen Moves Toward Japan and the Korean Peninsula.”
[ad_2]
