ID :
205866
Wed, 09/07/2011 - 18:35
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/205866
The shortlink copeid
Typhoon death toll rises to 54 as search, relief efforts continue
OSAKA, Sept. 7 Kyodo - Rescue workers continued their struggle Wednesday to reach hundreds of people who remain cut off five days after a powerful typhoon wreaked havoc on the Kii Peninsula in western Japan, with the death toll rising to 54 and restoration of water and power supplies still a priority.
The death toll from Typhoon Talas, the worst storm to hit Japan since 2004, continues to rise, while 55 remain missing, according to a Kyodo News tally based on announcements by local governments.
Meanwhile, another tropical cyclone, Typhoon Kulap, was observed Wednesday traveling slowly northward off the south of Japan in the Pacific, packing winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
With around 500 police officers and about 2,000 Ground Self-Defense Force members mobilized for search, rescue and relief efforts, the number of people cut off in Nara and Wakayama prefectures was down to 480 as of Wednesday morning, from about 2,480 the previous afternoon.
Separately, a rescue team has been assigned to confirm the whereabouts of 50 residents of the city of Shingu and the town of Nachikatsuura in Wakayama, who are not included in the tally of the missing.
In addition to search and rescue operations, the GSDF used 12 helicopters to continue airlifting emergency supplies to areas cut off by roads blocked or severed by landslides. It also mobilized 19 water tankers to districts suffering from outages after the typhoon significantly damaged water facilities.
Insufficient water for drinking, washing and lavatory use has raised concerns about sanitary conditions in stricken areas still covered extensively by mud and rubble.
''The water truck is here but the supply is far from sufficient,'' said a woman who was washing clothes at a river near her home in Nachikatsuura. ''I just hope essential services will be restored soon.''
The Nara prefectural government resorted to a disaster prevention radio system to contact local municipalities where phone lines were still down. Satellite phones have also been delivered to affected areas, prefectural officials said.
In Mie Prefecture, a landslide believed to have been triggered by the typhoon buried part of the Kumano Kodo ancient pilgrimage trail, officials said. The trail is part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The death toll from Typhoon Talas, the worst storm to hit Japan since 2004, continues to rise, while 55 remain missing, according to a Kyodo News tally based on announcements by local governments.
Meanwhile, another tropical cyclone, Typhoon Kulap, was observed Wednesday traveling slowly northward off the south of Japan in the Pacific, packing winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
With around 500 police officers and about 2,000 Ground Self-Defense Force members mobilized for search, rescue and relief efforts, the number of people cut off in Nara and Wakayama prefectures was down to 480 as of Wednesday morning, from about 2,480 the previous afternoon.
Separately, a rescue team has been assigned to confirm the whereabouts of 50 residents of the city of Shingu and the town of Nachikatsuura in Wakayama, who are not included in the tally of the missing.
In addition to search and rescue operations, the GSDF used 12 helicopters to continue airlifting emergency supplies to areas cut off by roads blocked or severed by landslides. It also mobilized 19 water tankers to districts suffering from outages after the typhoon significantly damaged water facilities.
Insufficient water for drinking, washing and lavatory use has raised concerns about sanitary conditions in stricken areas still covered extensively by mud and rubble.
''The water truck is here but the supply is far from sufficient,'' said a woman who was washing clothes at a river near her home in Nachikatsuura. ''I just hope essential services will be restored soon.''
The Nara prefectural government resorted to a disaster prevention radio system to contact local municipalities where phone lines were still down. Satellite phones have also been delivered to affected areas, prefectural officials said.
In Mie Prefecture, a landslide believed to have been triggered by the typhoon buried part of the Kumano Kodo ancient pilgrimage trail, officials said. The trail is part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range, registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
