Flights cancelled as disaster-battered Japan braces for powerful typhoon
After weeks of deadly floods and a heatwave, Japanese are preparing for a major storm to hit the main island
A powerful typhoon hurtled towards Japan on Saturday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders, with western areas recently devastated by floods and landslides in the storm’s crosshairs.
Typhoon Jongdari, packing winds of up to 180km/h (110mph), is forecast to make landfall on the country’s main island on Saturday night or early Sunday, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency.
Many flights were delayed or cancelled at Narita and Haneda, the two main airports serving Tokyo. Most of the cancellations were domestic, though some international travellers were stranded.
Television footage showed high waves smashing onto rocks and sea walls on the coastline in Shimoda, southwest of Tokyo, and trees buffeted by strong winds and heavy rain.
The storm, currently some 200km south of Tokyo, is expected to barrel towards the western Chugoku region on Sunday, where record rainfall earlier this month unleashed flooding and landslides, killing around 220 people and leaving more than 4,000 people living in temporary shelters.