This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
Published on October 11, 2019, Tokyo was bracing for the impact of Typhoon Hagibis, a powerful storm that was swirling towards Japan's eastern coast.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued extreme weather warnings for multiple prefectures, including the Tokyo region, as cities across the country opened evacuation centers.
At a news conference, the agency warned that Hagibis could be as strong as the Kanogawa Typhoon that hit Shizuoka Prefecture and the Tokyo region in 1958, killing over 1,200 people.
Residents in Chiba Prefecture, which was hardest hit by a typhoon last month, were advised to seek shelter early, as the central government dispatched officials and power supply vehicles to the area.
Experts warned that Chiba, where 900,000 people lost power in September, would be particularly vulnerable to the storm's impact, as many buildings that were partly damaged during the previous storm could be destroyed.
“Residents need to make early decisions to evacuate,” said Hiroyuki Yamada, an associate professor of meteorology at the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa. “The buildings are already damaged and may collapse even with weaker winds.”
