Japan on High Alert: The super severe cyclonic storm Shanshan is moving at a speed of 250 kilometers per hour in the East Asian nation Japan. The Meteorological Department has issued a warning for Kagoshima and Miyazaki provinces. The government has also come on alert mode in view of the cyclonic storm. The severity of the storm can be gauged from the fact that about 219 domestic and international flights have been canceled till Friday on the instructions of the government. Famous car manufacturing company Toyota has closed its factories and the government is displacing about 8 lakh people from these two provinces. Not only this, orders have been issued to stop rail, bullet train, flight and postal services to the capital Tokyo.
The country’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) on Wednesday estimated that Typhoon Shanshan was located 70 km off Yakushima Island at 2pm and was moving rapidly towards Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures on southwestern Kyushu Island, reports Japanese channel NHK. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Shanshan would move towards southern Kyushu at “extreme speed” on Thursday.
250 kmph speed
Hayashi said that the speed of the storm is expected to be up to 250 km per hour. He further said that it can be much more severe than the previous cyclones. Let us tell you that before Shanshan, cyclone Ampil wreaked havoc in the coastal areas earlier this month. This caused a blackout in many cities and hundreds of flights and trains were disrupted.
Evacuation orders issued for more than 8 lakh people
The JMA said Shanshan would hit the coast near Kyushu in the next few days. It is expected to reach central and eastern regions, including the capital Tokyo, over the weekend. Authorities on Wednesday issued evacuation orders for more than 800,000 residents of Kagoshima Prefecture on Kyushu and Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures southwest of Tokyo on central Honshu island.
Hundreds of flights cancelled, postal services also suspended
On the other hand, car manufacturer Toyota has ordered to suspend operations in all its 14 plants in Japan from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning. Japan Airlines has cancelled 172 domestic flights and six international flights scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. While ANA has cancelled 219 domestic flights and four international flights scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This will affect about 25,000 people.
Not only this, Kyushu Railway said that some Shinkansen bullet train services between Kumamoto and Kagoshima Chuo will be suspended from Wednesday night. Trains between Tokyo and Kyushu’s most populous city Fukuoka may also be canceled depending on weather conditions this week. Postal and delivery services have also been suspended in the Kyushu region. Supermarkets and other shops have announced early closures.