Southwest Japan Bracing For Powerful Typhoon
A powerful typhoon, possibly the strongest in decades, is battering the country's southwest.
As Typhoon Haishen draws closer, authorities are warning of potentially record rainfall, unprecedented wind, high tides and large ocean swells.
They're calling on people to stay on the highest alert and evacuate promptly if advised to do so.
Nakamoto Yoshihisa of the Japan Meteorological Agency said, "Typhoon Haishen is very powerful, as powerful as several typhoons that hit Japan last year. The agency urges people to be on the highest alert for record heavy rain, violent winds, high waves and storm surges."
Weather officials say that at 2 pm on Sunday, Typhoon Haishen was 140 kilometers south-southwest of Yakushima Island in the Pacific.
Heavy rain is falling not only in areas where the typhoon is approaching, but also in wide areas of Japan including those far from the typhoon. Authorities are warning of landslides, swollen rivers and flooding in low-lying areas.
Officials in several prefectures of Japan's southwestern Kyushu region have issued evacuation orders to local residents.
Over 30,000 households in Okinawa and Kagoshima Prefectures had no power on Sunday afternoon.
More than 500 domestic flights on Sunday were canceled. Most were to and from southern Kyushu and Okinawa.
The operator of the Kyushu and Sanyo Shinkansen lines says some trains have been canceled for Sunday and Monday.
