While on one side of the planet, in the Caribbean, Storm Fiona, which left havoc and a person dead in Guadeloupe, heads for Puerto Rico threatening to become a hurricane, on the other side Japan is preparing to face Typhoon Nanmadol, which meteorological authorities of Japan and the United States calculate that it could be the most devastating in the history of the island of the Pacific.
Tropical storm Fiona reached the French island of Guadeloupe, located in the Caribbean, with maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour, while moving through the Lesser Antilles towards Puerto Rico with the possibility of becoming a hurricane, according to the Center National Hurricane of the United States (NHC), which issued an alert in this regard. The island asked the government in Washington to declare an emergency.
In Basse-Terre, the capital of Guadeloupe, one person died after his house was swept away by flood currents. According to the authorities, the number of victims could increase as there are reports of several missing persons.
The island’s emergency services reported that they received more than 600 calls for help, in addition, twenty people were rescued during Fiona’s passage through the island.
The rains that began to appear on Friday have generated floods of up to a meter and a half, causing power and water cuts in the region, affecting at least 10,000 users.
The roads have also been affected, many of them were destroyed and others completely flooded, while the vehicles were destroyed by the intensity of the storm. Figures on the infrastructure damage suffered by the island are still unknown.
Some neighboring islands such as Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British and US Virgin Islands have been alerted about the possible passage of Fiona, for which they have canceled flights, suspended activities, closed schools and businesses.
Similarly, the NHC expects the storm to intensify into a hurricane, which could affect Puerto Rico with maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour.
Japan awaits on high alert the arrival of Nanmadol, an “unprecedented” typhoon
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued a special alert ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Nanmadol, which is expected to make landfall on the island of Kyushu at noon local time Sunday. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the south of the country are preparing for the arrival of the super typhoon, while train trips and flights are suspended.
The JMA issued a special typhoon warning for the island of Kyushu, located in Kagoshima prefecture, southwestern Japan. The Agency assured that it would be an “unprecedented” situation, since wind gusts of up to 270 kilometers per hour could be recorded.
Ryuta Kurora, the agency’s director of forecasts, told a news conference that it is a “dangerous typhoon like we have never seen before.” The agency expects the storm to generate record amounts of rain in Kagoshima, where a red alert has been declared and some residents have been asked to evacuate the area.
According to the agency, southern Kyushu could experience up to half a meter of rain when it makes landfall and it could last up to 24 hours, which could cause dangerous flooding and landslides.
Authorities have predicted that the so-called “potentially destructive typhoon” may change its path to the northeast and pass through the country’s main island of Honshu, reaching Tokyo on Tuesday, before reaching the ocean on Wednesday.
For its part, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Nanmadol has the potential to be the most destructive tropical storm to hit Japan in decades.
The Japanese prepare for the arrival of Nanmadol
According to the national television channel NHK, around two million people are threatened by the arrival of the typhoon, for which the inhabitants of the area have been asked to seek safe places of refuge.
Similarly, hundreds of flights were canceled over the weekend in the region and some railway operators announced the total or partial suspension of their services, such as the Kyushu Railway, which stopped some of its lines.
Authorities urged residents of Kagoshima prefecture to stock up on food and medicine, as department stores announced they would close their stores as the typhoon passes.
For its part, the Seven-Eleven Japan chain announced the temporary closure of 610 chains in the Kyushu and Chugoku regions as of Saturday night, according to local media reports.
Japan is hit annually by this type of storm, about 20 a year, between May and October. The Caribbean, for its part, experiences its hurricane season between June and November. Scientists have warned that global warming has increased the severity of these types of phenomena.
The scientific community has warned about the ravages caused by climate change, leading to increasingly stronger natural phenomena. This year, the rains have left behind serious damage and thousands of victims in countries such as India, Pakistan and recently in Italy.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
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