THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
September 18, 2022 at 18:49 JST
Residents in southern Kyushu were urgently advised to evacuate as a very powerful typhoon approached, leaving tens of thousands of buildings without power.
The special warning for heavy rains was issued for Miyazaki Prefecture by the Japan Meteorological Agency on Sept. 18 following torrential rain there.
The agency said it was possible that disaster had already struck some areas in the prefecture as the typhoon, the 14th of the season, brought unprecedented levels of rain to that part of southern Japan.
The impact of the storm forced bullet train operators to cancel services in western Japan from Sept. 19.
Authorities in Kagoshima Prefecture issued an advisory to secure the safety for residents in Hioki, Izumi and Nishinoomote cities as heavy downpours continued there, raising the danger of rivers bursting their banks and mudslides.
The JMA issued a special alert for strong winds, high waves and storm surges for Kagoshima Prefecture as the typhoon is projected to come extremely close to the southernmost main island of Kyushu toward Sept. 19, possibly making landfall there.
In neighboring Miyazaki Prefecture, about 4,800 residents had evacuated their homes as of 10 a.m.
In the prefectural capital of Miyazaki, some evacuation centers were filled, according to local officials.
Kyushu Electric Power Co. said recovery efforts were under way in southern Kyushu as of noon on Sept. 18 to restore power to around 49,000 buildings in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Power outages hit about 22,000 buildings in Miyazaki Prefecture and 600 or so buildings in Kumamoto Prefecture, the utility said.
West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) announced Sept. 18 it will cancel all bullet train services between Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture and Hiroshima Station on Sept. 19 to avoid the impact of the typhoon.
JR West also said it will operate fewer runs between Hiroshima and Shin-Osaka stations in the morning of Sept. 19 and suspend services in stages from the evening.
Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) said it will cancel bullet train runs between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka Stations from the afternoon of Sept. 19, in addition to offering significantly limited services between Tokyo and Nagoya.
JR Tokai said it could be forced to suspend runs between some sections on Sept. 20.
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The projected path of Typhoon No. 14 as of 7 a.m. on Sept. 18 (Captured from the official website of the Japan Meteorological Agency)
