Over 2 million people evacuated, 200 flights canceled: How Japan prepares for Typhoon Mekhala | Today’s news
More than 2 million people were ordered to evacuate in Japan on Friday as authorities issued flood and landslide warnings with Typhoon Mekhala looming, while the storm’s torrential rain disrupted daily life in neighboring Taiwan, forcing some 6 million people to stay home from work or school.
Mekhala moved towards Japan’s southern Ryukyu Islands after passing near Taiwan, where heavy rainfall battered several areas, particularly the southern cities of Kaohsiung, Tainan and Pingtung.
Southern and western Japan were also hit by heavy rain and strong winds, prompting warnings of landslides, flooding and rising river levels. Authorities issued evacuation orders for about 2.2 million residents.
The storm also disrupted transportation, with more than 200 flights canceled, dozens of train services and several expressways suspended, according to Japan’s land ministry. The weather agency there said a seasonal rain front, driven by warm and moist air, was intensifying rainfall, particularly in western Japan.
Toyota halted operations at a factory in the southern Kyushu region from Thursday afternoon until the first shift on Friday, with a decision on the second shift expected later.
Meanwhile, the governments of all three Taiwanese regions ordered the closure of offices and schools on Friday. Heavy flooding in Tainan knocked out part of the island’s main north-south railway line.
In the northern Taiwanese city of Hsinchu, home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker TSMC, offices and schools have been closed since noon (0400 GMT).
TSMC said in a statement that it had taken measures to prepare for the rain at its Taiwan facilities and its factories were operating normally.
About 6 million people live in the four affected areas of Taiwan. Almost a meter (3.2 feet) of rain has fallen in parts of largely rural Pyongyang since Thursday.
Barrier lake risk
No casualties were reported in Taiwan, but authorities in Hualien County evacuated nearly 200 residents from two villages downstream of the rapidly expanding barrier lake in the mountains.
Barrier lakes are formed when landslides, rocks, or other natural debris block the flow of a river, creating a temporary dam that traps water and disrupts its natural flow.
The precautionary measure follows last year’s disaster in another part of Hualien, where 19 people were killed after a lake barrier burst during super typhoon Ragasa, sending torrents of water and mud into nearby homes.
Meteorologists said the rain is expected to continue in Taiwan for at least another week, although its intensity is likely to gradually weaken.
Despite the disruption, the rainfall is expected to replenish Taiwan’s reservoirs, which depend on the summer and autumn typhoon seasons after typically dry winters.
