THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 2, 2023 at 17:35 JST
Strong winds hit the central part of Naha, the Okinawan capital, on the morning of Aug. 2. (Takashi Watanabe)
NAHA--Typhoon No. 6 brought punishing winds to the southernmost Okinawa Prefecture from Aug. 1, causing power outages and contributing to at least one death.
According to the Nago Police Station, Yoshihiro Sakiyama, 90, was confirmed dead late on Aug. 1 after being found trapped under a collapsed garage, which police believe was blown down by the powerful gusts.
The typhoon packed record winds as it approached the main Okinawa island on the morning of Aug. 2. Maximum instantaneous gusts of 182 kph were recorded in Nanjo, while Naha was hit with gusts of 189 kph, both records for August.
At least 20 people were injured after falling or being hit by flying objects between Aug. 1 and the morning of Aug. 2, according to Okinawa prefectural police and local fire departments.
A two-story home in Uruma was destroyed in a fire, leaving the 89-year-old resident with burns to her face, arms and legs. The resident reported trying to light a candle because of the power outage when the flames spread throughout the home.
As of 10 a.m. on Aug. 2, a total of 215,800 homes in the prefecture were without electricity, or about 30 percent of all homes, according to Okinawa Electric Power Co.
All flights in and out Naha Airport were canceled on Aug. 2 as well as all ships sailing in and out of Naha Port.
Because the typhoon was traveling so slowly over the East China Sea, air and sea travel were expected to be disrupted until after Aug. 5.
As of 11 a.m. on Aug. 2, Typhoon No. 6 was traveling at about 10 kph in a west-northwesterly direction southwest of Naha. It had a central pressure of 930 hectopascals, with maximum sustained winds of 180 kph near its center and maximum instantaneous gusts of 252 kph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Evacuation orders were issued for 17 municipalities in Okinawa and Yoron, Kagoshima Prefecture, covering about 693,000 residents.
(This article was written by Satsuki Tanahashi, Taro Ono and Hideki Motoyama.)
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