"A catastrophe is about to happen": Cyclone Haishen heads for Japan
People barricade a house as Typhoon Haishen approaches Kagoshima on September 5, 2020. CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
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An extremely violent cyclone was heading this Saturday towards southwestern Japan, where the authorities ordered the evacuation of thousands of residents.
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Winds of unequaled violence, heavy rains and high waves… The Japanese authorities fear Cyclone Haishen which is currently heading towards
the southwest of the country
.
Winds of 290 km / h are expected from this Saturday, late in the day.
It is a “
violent
” cyclone, at the highest of the Japanese meteorological scale.
By late afternoon, it was approaching
Okinawa
in southern Japan and is expected to head to Kyushu, in the west, on Sunday or Monday morning, according to weather services.
"
There is a risk of record winds,
heavy rains,
heavy waves and severe storms,
" Yoshihisa Nakamoto, a weather service official, told a press conference, calling for upstream evacuations and “
maximum prudence
”.
Massive evacuations
Thousands of residents have already been evacuated.
Some 4,600 people in Tarumizu, on the island of Kyushu, were called upon to evacuate their homes quickly, as authorities called on people in other parts of the island to prepare.
In addition, the manufacturer Toyota has announced the interruption of its activity until Monday 7 at least in three factories in Kyushu, while the companies Canon and Mitsubishi Electric are considering similar measures.
Nearly a hundred flights have also been suspended, according to public television NHK.
High-speed trains, the Shinkansen, could also be stopped Monday in the west of the archipelago.
"
A disaster is going to happen, there is almost no doubt,
" Yuhei Takamura, a government official, told the press conference.
Waves as high as a tsunami could hit the coast.
(With
AFP
)
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