2015.08.10
Typhoon Soudelor causes huge damage, spares Okinawa
Although typhoon Soudelor, the 13th typhoon this season, missed Okinawa’s main island last week, it made almost direct hit to the southwestern islands of Ishikgaki and Yonaguni.
On Yonaguni Island, maximum wind velocity of 64.7 meters per second was registered at 3:17 a.m. Saturday, and 427 mm of rain fell over a 24-hour period on the island, which is the heaviest rainfall in August on record.
At Ishigaki Airport, the maximum wind speed was measured at 55 meters per second 11:50 p.m. Friday.
No major damage has been reported on either island.
Soudelor, which was labeled as the strongest typhoon of the season so far, had caused extensive damage on the island of Saipan it passed over the previous weekend. There it destroyed homes, toppled trees and snapped power lines causing a power outage affecting most of the homes on the island. According to the local utility company, it will take three to four weeks to restore power to the area.
As the typhoon proceeded to Taiwan and mainland China, more damage was reported. In Taiwan 10 people were reported dead or missing, and 22 more were dead or missing in China. Power to more than a million homes was cut.