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POWERFUL TYPHOON JELAWAT made landfall today on the Japanese mainland a day after hitting southern Okinawa island, where local media said it left one dead and some 140 people injured.
Packing winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour, the typhoon made landfall in central Aichi prefecture at around 7pm local time (10.00 GMT) and was moving up the main island of Honshu, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
A 29-year-old man was swept away by high waves when Jelawat hit Okinawa and was later confirmed dead, while at least 140 people were injured in eight prefectures, according to public broadcaster NHK.
The typhoon is forecast to churn north-eastwards towards Tokyo over the next 24 hours and bring torrential rainfall and towering waves up to 10 metres high.
More than 500 flights, mainly in western Japan, were cancelled today and some shinkansen bullet train services across the country had been suspended, Kyodo said.
Local authorities have ordered more than 2,000 in central Mie to evacuate, while tens of thousands of people were advised to leave home for safe shelter, according to NHK.
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It might be a good idea to warn people about the dangers of flushing wet wipes, make up removal pads etc down the loo. Some estates have an infrastructure built in the sixties and seventies before these things even existed, so the presence of these items in the waste system was never factored into the design and they regularly block up .; It tends to be the same people who have a problem, despite not being the culprits, especially if their home is at the end of a row.
@Liz O’Neill: youz a reading ma mind Lizzy…
also body wipes used by home helpers to look after their clients are often flushed down toilets but they do not dissolve like loo paper and are a huge cause of blockages…. also pouring grease from cooking is a “recipe” for disaster.
@JG: Yes! The dreaded ‘fatbergs’.
Also, if you’re in a hard-water area, stick to glycerine-based hand wash & shower washes. Traditional soap only causes a hard scale buildup which is a chore to remove.
have your say