Typhoon Roke Slams Right Smack In The Middle Of Japan

Typhoon Roke Hits Japan

Typhoon Roke hit Hamamatsu in the main and central Japanese island of Honshu on Wednesday afternoon. It weakened as it made landfall but was destructive enough to cause flash floods, cut power and disrupted communication and transportation.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Roke was packing winds of 148 kilometers per hour near the center. Tokyo, some 215 kilometers away, is expected to be affected as the typhoon is projected to skirt the northeast coast of the island into Fukushima prefecture, the site of the doomed nuclear plant. There are fears that rain can wash away radioactive material in the damaged plant into the sea.

At least four people have died due to flooding. Several highways and roads have been closed and numerous flights have been cancelled as well. The weather agency said residents should exercise "the highest level of caution" due to heavy rain and floods. About a million people were ordered to evacuate in danger areas according to local media reports.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant suffered damage and leaked significant amounts of radiation into the environment after being struck by a powerful earthquake and tsunami on March 11.  Authorities are confident that the cooling system of the damaged plant will not be affected by Typhoon Roke but construction work to contain radiation was suspended because of the weather condition.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced the suspension of operations of its plants near the area. Nissan Motor Co. also advised workers to go home early. Residents in Tokyo likewise were ordered to stay inside their homes before Typhoon Roke made landfall.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Wednesday September 21 2011, 8:38 AM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0