Japan, China, the Philippines and Taiwan are in the crosshairs of being affected by the passage of Typhoon Khanun. Canceled flights, mass evacuations and power failures are just some of the damage that the countries of the region must alleviate with the arrival of the sixth typhoon of the season in the Pacific, which has been classified as “very strong intensity”. Deaths and injuries are already reported in Okinawa Prefecture.
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On the night of Tuesday, August 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned the population about the proximity of Typhoon Khanun, which was advancing northwest at a speed of 15 km/h and winds that in turn reached 234 km /h.
The JMA announced that waves of 10 to 12 meters were expected, as well as the fall of 20 cm³ of water in the region, for which reason it asked the residents to exercise extreme caution. Additionally, the agency issued evacuation orders and recommendations for hundreds of thousands of people in Okinawa Prefecture. Some indications that remained in force during Wednesday, August 2.
The passage of typhoon Khanun through southern Japan caused the suspension of all air connections from Naha, Miyako, Shin-Ishigaki and Shimoji Shima, the main airports in Okinawa prefecture. Which caused approximately 65,000 passengers to be stranded.
The passage of the meteorological phenomenon also left around 220,000 homes without electricity, which is equivalent to 34% of the total housing units in the prefecture.
According to the information updated by the local chain ‘NHK’, the weather conditions left at least 35 injured and the death of an elderly man was reported, who was crushed by the collapse of a garage caused by strong winds in the town of Ogimi. .
Extreme weather conditions resulting from the passage of Typhoon Khanun are expected to continue through Thursday, including heavy rain, landslides and strong winds. Khanun is expected to slow down as it passes through the East China Sea north of Taiwan. The possibility of a course change to the east that leads the typhoon towards other islands of Japan is not ruled out.
The governments of territories near Okinawa are preparing for the imminent attack of Khanun. Taiwan has announced the closure of schools and businesses in the northern part of the country, including the capital Taipei, for Thursday. Stock and currency markets will also be temporarily suspended due to forecast weather conditions. About 30 flights have been cancelled, along with the suspension of ferry routes and the central government has deployed a strong military operation in all northern cities.
As reported by the Taiwanese authorities, the most severe effects are expected to occur on Thursday night.
On the other hand, China and the Philippines, which still have not been able to alleviate the harsh effects of the passage of Typhoon Doksuri, are also preparing to face the ravages of the sixth meteorological phenomenon of its type in the season.
China and the Philippines, without respite between typhoons
Khanun is heading slowly but unstoppably towards the northwest and it is expected that it could have negative consequences in China and some Philippine islands. This is a new climate emergency for two territories that continue to implement measures to recover from the effects caused by Typhoon Doksuri which took place just a couple of days ago and has now been downgraded to “storm”.
Typhoon Doksuri left a balance of at least 11 deaths and thousands of evacuees in the Chinese capital alone, according to reports from the Beijing Meteorological Office. In addition, with its passage the roads of the city they became channels on which the rubber boats circulated in which teams of rescuers transported people with help. The city still reports approximately 26 missing persons.
Doksuri swept the territory of the Asian giant from south to north, since last Friday, July 28, causing the highest amount of rain recorded in recent years since 1883. It is estimated that there were 744 millimeters of water in areas such as the reservoir from Wangjiayuan. While Hebei, one of the provinces that suffered the most damage, reported that approximately 850,000 people were relocated as a result of the typhoon.
The geography of the Philippines was also severely affected by the Doksuri passage, which caused the death of 25 people throughout the territory. Now, the Government warns about the potential effects of the Khanun: floods and landslides that could exacerbate the crisis that the country is experiencing.
Rain after the hottest month in Japan
The devastated Asia-Pacific region is waiting for the progressive worsening of the consequences of this type of meteorological phenomena, which could be aggravated by the advance of climate change.
In the heart of the typhoon season that announces the arrival of floods and heavy rains, it is unlikely that at the end of July the Japanese authorities issued alerts and recommendations due to the severity of the high temperatures, typical of the heat wave that is going through a large part of the planet Conditions that have been mostly attributed to the El Niño meteorological phenomenon.
The Asian country closed July as the hottest month recorded since 1898. On average, the temperature exceeded a 1.91 degrees the usual temperature of the archipelago in the previous months of July. In fact, for some areas of the country the increase reached 3 degrees when the thermometers marked 37.3 degrees.
Countries in the region were also affected, such as South Korea, which registered almost two dozen deaths, of which a large part were older adults who carried out physical activities in the open air or agricultural tasks in the open.
With EFE, AP and local media
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