Typhoon Khanun approached the islands of Okinawa (southern Japan) on Tuesday, causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and a call for hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate their homes to seek shelter.
Several towns in Okinawa, Japan, issued non-binding evacuation orders on Tuesday morning as the typhoon, which was sweeping the Pacific Ocean with winds of up to 162 km/h, was expected to bear down. on the department in the evening.
A “large-scale” typhoon
As of 10 a.m. local time Tuesday (0100 GMT), the “large-scale” and “powerful” typhoon was 240 kilometers southeast of Naha, the capital of Okinawa, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Local authorities have urged vulnerable residents to seek refuge in places safer than their homes in anticipation of strong winds and heavy rains.
“A lot of people stay at home because their house is made of concrete,” an Okinawa department disaster management official told AFP. “But we are asking people who live alone or in wooden houses in low-lying areas to consider taking shelter before the typhoon gets worse.”
More than 500 flights to or from Okinawa were canceled on Tuesday, and local ferry and bus services were suspended ahead of the typhoon, state broadcaster NHK reported. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA) said more than 74,000 passengers in total were expected to be affected by flight cancellations on Tuesday and Wednesday.