Powerful typhoon pounds southern Japan; thousands evacuated

A powerful typhoon slammed ashore in southern Japan ovevr the weekend as it pounded the region with strong winds and heavy rain, causing blackouts, paralyzing ground and air transportation and prompting the evacuation of thousands of people.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Nanmadol was heading north after making landfall in Kagoshima city on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu.
It was packing maximum winds of 162 kilometers (101 miles) per hour, and is forecast to reach Tokyo on Tuesday.
The weather agency predicted as much as 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rainfall by Monday evening and warned of flooding and landslides. It also alerted residents in the affected areas of “unprecedented” levels of powerful winds and waves, urging them to evacuate early.
Storm and high wave warnings were in effect in Kagoshima, where residents were told to stay inside stable buildings on second floor or higher, if it’s deemed a safer option than going to evacuation centers. More than 12,000 people took shelter at evacuation centers. In neighboring Miyazaki prefecture, about 8,000 people left their homes.