Typhoon season begins in Japan in June and usually ends in October. Geographically, the Japanese archipelago is strongly stretched from north to south. Being in the Pacific Ocean, where typhoons are formed by means of tropical cyclones, the Japanese islands are forced to constantly fall under their influence.
On June 19-20, a powerful typhoon swept across Japan. Typhoon number four, dubbed "Guchol", approached the coast of the country at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. The main meteorological office of the country announced in advance about an impending natural disaster. The typhoon was expected to strike the southeastern coast of Japan.
According to forecasters, after the island of Kyushu, "Guchol" was to pass through the entire central part of the island of Honshu to the northeast. The wind speed on land could reach 35 meters per second. The country's authorities warned the population that due to the hurricane, there is a high probability of landslides and floods as a result of river flooding. It was not recommended to leave the house unless absolutely necessary.
According to meteorologists, a notice was made about preparations for the evacuation. This message was received by over forty thousand residents in a number of southwestern regions of the Japanese island of Kyushu. In addition, more than two hundred domestic flights, ninety regular trains were canceled, the movement of passenger ferries was stopped and a warning was issued to all owners of private yachts and boats.
The damage after typhoon "Guchol" was significant, even in spite of all the measures taken. On Tuesday June 19 in the city of Numazu in Shizuoka Prefecture, a fifty-three-year-old man was killed, he was under the rubble of a house destroyed by a typhoon. In Yamanashi Prefecture, a 16-year-old schoolgirl was swept away by a flood of rainstorms and is still missing. In addition, more than sixty people received various injuries.
One hundred and fifty thousand people were forced to evacuate from the affected area, including from areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami in March last year. About a hundred houses were flooded in Hyogo Prefecture in southwestern Japan. After the breakage of power lines, almost three hundred thousand buildings were temporarily without electricity.
Meanwhile, a new typhoon Talim was approaching Japan, which became the fifth tropical cyclone in Asia. It moves towards Japan from China. It was expected on the Japanese islands just a day after the last typhoon "Guchol".
