Japan braces itself for 'once in a decade' typhoon
Tokyo is bracing itself for the arrival of Typhoon Wipha - a 'once in a decade' storm hurtling towards Japan's capital city.
A spokesman for the meteorological agency said the storm was a "once in a decade event". Photo: AFP
3:10PM BST 15 Oct 2013
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A "once-in-a-decade" typhoon is threatening Japan
– disrupting travel and shipping, and forcing precautions to be taken at
the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Typhoon Wipha is moving across the Pacific straight towards the capital,
Tokyo, and is expected to make landfall during the morning rush hour on
Wednesday, bringing hurricane-force winds to the metropolitan area of 30
million people.
The centre of the storm was 535 miles southwest of Tokyo at 0800 GMT, the
Japan Meteorological Agency said on its website. It was moving
north-northeast at 22mph.
The storm had weakened as it headed north over the sea but was still packing
sustained winds of about 90mph with gusts as high as 120mph, the agency said.
The agency issued warnings for Tokyo of heavy rain, flooding and gales, and
advised people to be prepared to leave their homes quickly and to avoid
unnecessary travel.
A spokesman for the meteorological agency said the storm was a "once in a
decade event".
The typhoon is expected to sweep through northern Japan after making landfall and to pass near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, on the coast, 130 miles northeast of Tokyo, later on Wednesday.
The operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Corp, which has been struggling to contain radioactive leaks, said it would cancel all offshore work and it would decide whether to continue work onshore after assessing the weather. The utility will also take down cranes and secure all cables, hoses and machinery, a company spokesman said.
Typhoon Wipha is the strongest storm to approach eastern Japan since October 2004. That cyclone triggered floods and landslides that killed almost 100 people, forced thousands from their homes and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Four Japanese oil refining companies said they suspended marine berth shipments in eastern Japan as the typhoon approached but there was no impact on refining operations.
Japan Airlines Co cancelled 183 domestic flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly from Tokyo's Haneda airport. East Japan Railway Co said it had cancelled 31 bullet trains going north and west from Tokyo.
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The typhoon is expected to sweep through northern Japan after making landfall and to pass near the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, on the coast, 130 miles northeast of Tokyo, later on Wednesday.
The operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Corp, which has been struggling to contain radioactive leaks, said it would cancel all offshore work and it would decide whether to continue work onshore after assessing the weather. The utility will also take down cranes and secure all cables, hoses and machinery, a company spokesman said.
Typhoon Wipha is the strongest storm to approach eastern Japan since October 2004. That cyclone triggered floods and landslides that killed almost 100 people, forced thousands from their homes and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Four Japanese oil refining companies said they suspended marine berth shipments in eastern Japan as the typhoon approached but there was no impact on refining operations.
Japan Airlines Co cancelled 183 domestic flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly from Tokyo's Haneda airport. East Japan Railway Co said it had cancelled 31 bullet trains going north and west from Tokyo.
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