Typhoon Dolphin impacts Okinawa, disrupts flights
TOKYO — Typhoon Dolphin moved over Japan’s southern remote islands Friday, causing a main airport on Okinawa to close and grounding all flights in and out of the island, while sending hundreds of people to take shelter at evacuation centers, reports BritPanorama.
The typhoon was just north of Okinawa Island with maximum winds of 89 mph as of Friday afternoon, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Three men in their 70s were slightly injured — two of them were caught in the wind and a third fell from a stool, apparently blown off by the wind while preparing for the storm, the Okinawa prefecture noted.
Naha Airport on Okinawa Island confirmed it closed Friday with all domestic and international flights canceled.
By midday Friday, 240 people had sought shelter at evacuation centers across Okinawa, the prefecture reported.
As Dolphin is expected to affect parts of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu, residents whose homes were damaged by last week’s deadly earthquake were placing blue tarps on roofs and walls to prevent further water damage.
The agency warned of strong winds, heavy rain, and high waves in the Okinawa region through Sunday, urging residents to remain indoors.
The storm is predicted to weaken over the weekend as it approaches China’s eastern coast, where it is expected to make landfall Monday morning.
