Saturday, August 31, 2024 Tokyo is on high alert as deadly Storm Shanshan approaches, bringing destructive winds and heavy rains after claiming six lives in the country’s southwest. Tens of thousands of residents in Tokyo have been urged to evacuate as Tropical Storm Shanshan continues its northward journey across Japan. The storm, which initially made landfall as a powerful typhoon on Thursday, has claimed the lives of six people and left many others injured.
This storm is one of the most severe to strike the country’s southwest in several decades. Among the deceased are an 80-year-old man and another man who was fatally injured when his roof collapsed. Earlier, three individuals lost their lives due to landslides triggered by the storm.
Moving northeast at a sluggish pace of 10 km/h, Shanshan is forecasted to reach Tokyo by the weekend. As of Friday morning, it was located near Kunisaki in Oita Prefecture, with maximum sustained winds of 72 km/h and gusts reaching up to 108 km/h. Some regions have already experienced unprecedented rainfall, raising concerns about potential flooding as major rivers swell.
The Meguro, Nogawa, and Sengawa rivers in Tokyo are currently under a Level 4 alert issued by the meteorological agency. The storm has also caused disruptions to several train services, and numerous cities remain on high alert due to the ongoing emergency..