Rare Warning Up As Powerful Typhoon Swirls Toward Japan

Thousands of Japanese left their homes and transferred to safer shelters as a powerful typhoon named Nanmadol churns closer towards the southwest of the region prompting authorities to raise a rare “special warning."

The Japan Methodological Agency (JMA) issued the warning on Sunday specifically for the Kagoshima region located in southern Kyushu, where some three million people have been told to evacuate.

The JMA warned that the areas forecast to be affected by the typhoon may experience “unprecedented” danger due to strong winds, storm surges and the intensity of rain. Thus, according to Ryuta Kurora, head of JMA’s forecast unit, “maximum caution is required.”

"Please move into sturdy buildings before violent winds start to blow and stay away from windows even inside sturdy buildings," he told a late-night press conference.

Kurora added that it would be a very dangerous typhoon as winds would be “fierce that some houses might collapse.” He also said that flooding and landslide can occur.

"The rain and wind are getting stronger. The rain is so heavy that you cannot really see what's out there. It looks all white," he added.

Some 8,500 people have already evacuated to government-provided lodgings, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Meanwhile, 25,680 households in Kagoshima and Miyazaki lost power on Sunday morning, while regional train services, flights and ferry runs were canceled until the typhoon’s passage, according to the local utilities and transport services.

Kurora urged people to evacuate their homes as soon as possible before the storm arrives to lessen casualties.