Residents Seek Shelter as Typhoon Lan Rips across Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:45 JST, August 15, 2023

Evacuation centers have been sheltering residents in the Kinki and Tokai regions, among other locations, as typhoon Lan caused disruptions across Japan Tuesday.

Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, issued an evacuation order to 8,000 households on Monday afternoon, with about 60 people spending the night in shelters.

A 55-year-old management consultant from Tokyo’s Sumida Ward who was vacationing with his family at a holiday home sought shelter at a cultural center in the town on Monday evening.

“The wind and rain were so strong last night that I felt uneasy even indoors [at the shelter] and I couldn’t sleep well,” he said on Tuesday.

Injuries mount

According to a Yomiuri Shimbun tally, 24 injuries related to the typhoon were reported in Osaka, Wakayama and Tsu, among other places.

In Wakayama City, a 60-year-old man found trapped under a blown-off wall panel at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday was transported to the hospital, and a woman in her 50s was receiving treatment after falling off her bicycle.

Meanwhile, a woman who was knocked over in strong winds in front of JR Osaka Station at around 7:40 a.m. received treatment in hospital for a lower back injury.

The typhoon disrupted transportation services across Japan on Tuesday.

Travelers were seen anxiously checking electronic message boards for train suspensions at JR Tokyo Station.

Shinkansen trains were canceled between Nagoya and Okayama stations, and reduced services were operating between Tokyo and Nagoya stations.