Typhoon Hagibis is on a collision course with the island nation of Japan and is expected to arrive sometime Saturday. The impact is likely to be centered on Japan’s central Pacific coast, as Hagibis is rushing up from the south to impact the country.
The typhoon is currently cruising over the Pacific at 12 MPH, with internal sustained winds exceeding 168 MPH. This means that it’s the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, though it’s still roughly 600 miles south of Tokyo. The storm’s current course has it impacting the Japanese coast sometime late Saturday.
Typhoon Hagibis is poised to be a major threat for Japan. The massive typhoon is expected to have huge storm surge flooding, as well as severe rainfall and high wind speeds. Typhoon Faxai last month already caused widespread damage and even resulted in the deaths of three people.
As such, the mood in Tokyo, especially Chiba, is quite grim ahead of the storm. Typhoon Faxai brought tremendously fast winds that tore down electrical wires and utility poles, contributing to widespread power outages. This, in turn, increased the number of injuries from heat illness, especially among the elderly residents of the city.
Airlines and train services alike are forewarning that travelers should expect cancelations or delays in the face of the extreme weather. Much of the concern regarding Typhoon Hagibis is that the storm is likely going to impact the island three times larger than Faxai was when it made landfall.
After the widespread damage of Faxai, Tokyo is now preparing for the worst. City officials have promised to do their best to keep citizens safe, and they are urging residents to take early precautions in the face of the storm. Many people in Tokyo are already stocking up on supplies to keep safe throughout the storm’s duration.
Pre-storm checklists should include bottled water, non-perishable food items, dry clothes, any prescription medicines people in your home take, batteries, battery-powered flashlights and battery-powered radios. Residents are urged to keep vigilant and listen for any changes in the storm’s path on the radio.
