Typhoon Jelawat jumps Japan's island of Okinawa
September 29, 2012
Effects of typhoon Jelawat overturn a vehicle in Naha City, Okinawa prefecture.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: "Jumpin' Jelawat" pummels Okinawa, injuring at least 50 people
- NEW: More than 270,000 households are powerless on Okinawa
- A U.S. base on Okinawa posts pictures from the storm
- Strong winds have overturned vehicles
As the storm roared
toward other Japanese islands, three people were injured in the
southernmost part of Kyushu, the Disaster Management Office of the
Kagoshima prefectural government said.
The typhoon is expected to strike the Japanese mainland Sunday.
The latest typhoon to hit
the region in recent weeks, Jelawat is a "very strong" storm with
maximum sustained winds near the center of just over 100 mph (165 km/h),
the Japan Meteorological Agency said. A NASA advisory said the cyclone
was comparable to a category 3 hurricane.
Typhoon Jelawat to impact Taiwan, Japan
The cyclone has lost some
of its might and should continue weakening while moving into colder
waters, said CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis. Wind troughs out of China
could divert Jelawat away from land and into the open Pacific Ocean.
This has not kept Okinawa from feeling the might of Jelawat's gusts, although there have been no reports of major damage.
"The winds are screaming
through the streets," storm chaser James Reynolds said from Okinawa
before the typhoon strike. "I've seen at least one window blow out."
He explained that
buildings on the island are constructed to withstand the frequent
Pacific typhoons. Just two weeks ago, Sanba, a Category 3 storm with
slightly stronger winds than the current typhoon, passed over Okinawa on
its way to South Korea.
Local media reported Jelawat's gusts had overturned motor vehicles.
A U.S. Air Force base on the island recorded a gust of 180 mph, Maginnis said.
Kadena Air Base posted comments, photos and videos from the storm on its Facebook page.
"Jumpin' Jelawat!" a comment read. "OK, this is the back side of Jelawat. Impressive. Scary impressive."
The base lost its
American Forces Network television signal, according to one photo post
with a descriptive caption saying the storm "decided to make a taco out
of one of our satellite dish."
The page held a contest
for the best storm picture. Potential winning images -- containing the
worst damage -- displayed a single car that the wind had overturned and
roof damage to a home.
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