Published 13:19 IST, September 16th 2019
Japan: Almost 80,000 homes still without power a week after typhoon
Around 80,000 homes in eastern Japan are still facing power blackout after a powerful typhoon Faxai wreaked havoc, said the authorities on September 16.
- World News
- 3 min read
Around 80,000 homes in eastern Japan are still facing power blackout after a powerful typhoon Faxai wreaked havoc, said the authorities on September 16. The evacuation and recovery operations were hampered due to sustained heavy rainfall and wind speeds. Typhoon Faxai hit the Tokyo region in the early hours of last Monday, resulted in heavy winds that erupted the electricity poles, disrupted Rugby World Cup preparations and forced the government to order thousands of people to leave their homes. With sustaining winds of up to 210km/h (130mph), Faxai is one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Japanese capital in a decade. Around 130 flights were canceled and train lines closed for hours, disrupting the morning commute.
Complete recovery still in the process
The deadly storm took lives of two people with at least three elderly later confirmed dead due to heatstroke as temperatures rose up to more than 35-degree Celcius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) and the most affected areas of the storm still facing complete power breakdown. Spokesperson Naoya Kondo said some 78,700 households were still without power in Chiba, southeast of the capital, Tokyo Electric Co. (TEPCO). He said a complete recovery is still in the process as the authorities face difficulties in the mountainous regions. A local official added that around 16700 households were still staying without water as most of the water treatment plants had no electricity. Some of the officials were dispatching water tanker trucks to the affected areas with the help of the military.
National weather agency of Japan forecasts heavy rainfall
The national weather agency of Japan forecasted torrential rainfall on Monday in Chiba and issued new warnings while the local authorities issued non-compulsory evacuation orders to 46,300 people due to the risk of landslides. A disaster management official in Futtsu in Chiba, Kenta Hirano, said a delay in the recovery operations is expected due to heavy rains. More than 1000 houses were damaged by a typhoon in the area, he said. Some local media showed the residents in Chiba covering their damaged roofs hurriedly with blue tarps.
(With PTI inputs)
Updated 15:29 IST, September 16th 2019