Typhoon Jebi: The Beast Bending Japan’s West
In a flashing headline the week before, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned that the tiger‑shaped storm Jebi was on a collision course with the country’s western coastal belt. When it finally slammed into Japan around noon on Tuesday, the winds ripped through the landscape like a charging dragon, leaving nothing untouched.
What Went Down
- Deadly gusts up to 216 km/h (135 mph) tore sheets off rooftops, turned trucks on bridges into flying wreckage, and tossed a tanker into a bridge near Kansai International Airport.
- Bridge chaos left the airport cut off from the mainland, trapping roughly 3,000 folks there and forcing a mass evacuation.
- Heavy waves flooded parts of the airport, prompting an airport‑wide flight‑cancellation spree.
- Power outages struck some 2.3 million homes, and 1.2 million residents were advised to evacuate, with another 16,000 on stricter orders.
Fatalities and Injuries
Seven people lost their lives, including a 71‑year‑olds in Shiga prefecture who got stuck under a collapsed warehouse. The storm left an additional 164 people with mostly minor injuries.
Airport & Transportation Fallout
Almost 800 flights were scrapped, including those to and from Nagoya and Osaka. Ferries, local trains, and even a few bullet train lines were put on standby.
Reactions from Authorities
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged early evacuation, saying: “I urge the Japanese people to take action to protect your lives, including preparing and evacuating early.” The chief forecaster at the weather agency, Ryuta Kurora, echoed the urgency, declaring that Jebi was the most ferocious typhoon since 1993.
Why This Storm Was Special
Jebi’s path mimicked that of the earlier Typhoon Cimaron, but the damage left behind this time was much scarier: wooden houses toppled, power poles fell, and many schools and businesses—including Universal Studios Japan—had to shut down. The whole region felt the storm’s roar like never before.
Past Lessons
In July, relentless rains and landslides had already taken over 200 lives in central and western Japan. Even with detailed warnings, many people didn’t heed them, proving that the “not‑mandatory” evacuations can still cost lives.
Jebi’s arrival has once again underscored the importance of taking every warning seriously—especially when the weather looks a little smoldering on the horizon.
