Powerful Typhoon Neoguri Battered Okinawa

Japan urges thousands to evacuate as a powerful typhoon hits Okinawa with torrential rain and high winds. Katie Sargent reports

Powerful Typhoon Neoguri battered Okinawa on Tuesday bringing heavy rain and strong winds, high waves up to 14 meters (46 feet) high and storm surges that were set to intensify as the storm passed the main island of Okinawa in the evening.

The Okinawa government reported four people were injured, while a man was reported missing from a fishing boat in rough seas off Kyushu.

Typhoon Neoguri is one of the strongest and biggest typhoons to hit during Japan’s summer months.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that Typhoon Neoguri was packing sustained winds of 194 kilometers (120 miles) per hour and gusts up to 240 kph (148 mph).

Local airports were closed and about 550,000 people were advised to evacuate their homes.

Forecasts show the storm tracking toward Kyushu island and then across Japan’s main island of Honshu. 

A man walks across a street amid strong winds in Naha, Okinawa, southern Japan, Tuesday, July 8, 2014. Powerful Typhoon Neoguri pounded across the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa on Tuesday, as residents took refuge from destructive winds, towering waves and storm surges. Airports closed and residents were evacuated from low-lying areas and shorelines as the typhoon passed over Okinawa, packing sustained winds of 175 kilometers (108 miles) per hour and gusts up to 250 kph (154 mph), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, CREDIT MANDATORY

Women walk in strong winds caused by typhoon Neoguri at Kokusai street, a shopping and amusement district in Naha, on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 8, 2014. REUTERS/Kyodo

A powerful typhoon struck the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa on Tuesday, as residents took refuge from gale force winds, towering waves and storm surges. (July 8)

At Least 20 Killed in Japan Flood – Photos

An aerial view shows flooded residential area after a bank of the Yabegawa river collapsed caused by heavy rains in Yanagawa, Fukuoka prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 14, 2012. Evacuation orders was issued to 40,000 people in Kyushu area due to heavy rain on Saturday, Kyodo news reported. REUTERS/Kyodo

Southwest Japan especially in Kyushu Island, is now facing a big flood after three days of heavy rain.

So far, at least 20 people were reported killed and 9 people were missing.

About 400,000 people were ordered or advised to evacuate their homes.

Rivers broke their banks and flooded the areas and there were hundreds of landslides caused by the heavy rain.

Houses were damage and bridges were destroyed.

This is a disaster!

Floodwaters engulf a river at Kumamoto city on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu. Television footage showed torrents of muddy water carrying uprooted trees and other debris, while rivers burst their banks and flooded towns and villages in the main southern island of Kyushu. AFP

Rescue workers search for missing people in the heavy rain in Aso, after heavy rains hit southwestern Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 14, 2012. Mandatory Credit REUTERS/Kyodo

Policemen search for missing people at collapsed houses following a landslide caused by heavy rains in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 12, 2012. Record-setting rainfalls have caused flooding and landslides in parts of southwestern Japan, leading to evacuation orders for thousands of residents, with authorities fearing that some people may have been buried alive, local media reports REUTERS/Kyodo

Riverbanks are covered with mud and woods carried by floodwater in Takeda, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, Thursday, July 12, 2012. Heavy rains hit southern Japan, triggering flashfloods, mudslides and destroying dozens of homes. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

A road is covered with mud and woods carried by a mudslide in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, western Japan, Thursday, July 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

An aerial view shows firefighters searching among collapsed houses following a landslide caused by heavy rains in Minamiaso town, Kumamoto prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo July 12, 2012.  REUTERS/Kyodo