Tropical Storm Maria caused widespread chaos across northern Japan, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate, disrupting transport services and issuing emergency warnings.
The slow-moving storm, now weakening but still dangerous, made landfall near the city of Ofunato in Iwate prefecture on Monday morning, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
As of Monday afternoon, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Maria was packing maximum sustained winds of 72 kph (45 mph) as it moved northwest across the northeast region at 20 kph (12 mph).
This is the third tropical storm to make landfall on the Tohoku region’s Pacific coast since records began.
Up to 46 cm (18 inches) of rain fell in the city of Kuji in Iwate Prefecture over the past two days. Maria is weakening but is slowing, meaning the area could experience prolonged rainfall, with up to 25 cm (9.8 inches) of rain expected by Tuesday morning.
The Fire and Disaster Management Agency requested about 170,000 residents in the three prefectures of Iwate, Aomori and Miyagi to evacuate, and by early Monday morning, about 2,000 people had evacuated to Iwate prefecture.
In Kuji city, a level 5 emergency alert was issued for parts of Osanai and Kuji towns due to the risk of flooding caused by the controlled release of water from Taki Dam, affecting 4,177 households and 8,300 people.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised swift government assistance to victims.
Iwate prefecture has begun emergency releases of water into rivers to prevent dams from overflowing, further increasing the risk of flooding in riverside towns such as Naganai and Kuji.
The storm has also had a major impact on travel, with Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelling some flights to and from the region, and further disruptions are expected into Tuesday.
Public transport has also been affected, with the Akita Shinkansen bullet train suspended between Morioka and Akita stations. JR East and East Nippon Expressway Co. said the Tohoku and Yamagata Shinkansen bullet trains and expressways in the region may also be suspended or delayed.
Maria’s impact on Japan’s infrastructure will be significant, especially during the Obon holiday, when many people travel to remember their ancestors.
Footage from NHK public television showed rivers overflowing with muddy water in areas including Iwaizumi, where nine people lost their lives in a 2016 typhoon.
A woman at an evacuation centre in the town of Iwaizumi told NHK that she had evacuated early, learning from lessons learned from a previous typhoon that destroyed her home, the Associated Press reported.
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan last week, triggering tsunami warnings for many of the country’s western islands and causing mostly minor injuries.
