ISLAMABAD: At least one person has been killed and several others injured as Typhoon Halong struck Japan’s Izu Islands Thursday morning, unleashing record rainfall, fierce winds, and high waves that forced thousands to evacuate their homes, according to the Japanese disaster management officials.
Authorities confirmed that a 58-year-old man was swept away by powerful waves while fishing off the coast of Oiso in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Several others sustained injuries due to falling debris and flooding incidents across the island chain, as Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued its highest-level “Heavy Rain Emergency Warning” for the region.
The Izu Islands, a volcanic chain about 300 kilometres south of Tokyo, were hit by torrential downpours, with Hachijo Island recording over 200 millimetres of rain in just three hours — the highest on record. Wind speeds reached up to 175 kilometres per hour (108 mph), equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane under the Saffir-Simpson scale commonly used in the United States.
Disaster response teams have been deployed to assist residents stranded in flood-prone and mountainous areas. Authorities warned that landslides and flash floods remain major risks as the ground remains saturated. Power outages and transportation disruptions have also been reported on several islands.
Typhoon Halong, known locally as “super taifu”, is expected to move northeast into the Pacific Ocean later tonight, gradually losing strength as it exits Japanese territory.
Experts explained that the storm’s “storm surge”—a rapid rise in sea level caused by intense winds and low air pressure—has led to coastal erosion and inundation in several parts of the Izu chain. Meteorologists cautioned that climate change continues to intensify such tropical systems in the Western Pacific.
Globally, a “typhoon” refers to tropical cyclones forming in the northwest Pacific, the same weather phenomenon known as a “hurricane” in the Atlantic or a “cyclone” in the Indian Ocean.
The Japan Meteorological Agency continues to urge residents to remain indoors, avoid riverbanks, and follow evacuation orders as rescue and cleanup efforts continue.
