ABC News – by Mark WillacyTyphoon Man-yi has hit central Japan as officials issued a “special warning” of heavy rain, amid fears the storm could go on to hit the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
The typhoon is generating heavy rain and wind gusts of more than 140 kilometres per hour.
It is tracking north-east along the main Japanese island of Honshu at a speed of 45 kilometres per hour and was expected to pass over Fukushima this afternoon.
TEPCO workers at the plant are battening down the site as the typhoon approaches.
They have attached ropes to outdoor piping and pumps, and are using large weights to try to prevent cranes from possibly toppling over.
With torrential rains expected this afternoon, there are fears that more contaminated water will seep into the groundwater and flow into the sea.
Crews have struggled to contain the nuclear plant after an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 triggered an atomic disaster and led to the contamination of groundwater with radioactive materials.
The typhoon had already brought heavy rain and strong winds to the south and east before even hitting Japan.
Public broadcaster NHK said a woman in her 70s was missing following a landslide in Shiga prefecture, while at least six people were injured in other areas due to strong wind.
The agency issued the highest alert for “possibly unprecedented heavy rain” in Kyoto and its adjacent prefectures, warning residents in danger zones to evacuate to shelters.
About 350 domestic flights scheduled for Monday, a public holiday, were cancelled, mainly those departing Tokyo, and train services were also reduced, NHK reported.
ABC/AFP
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-16/typhoon-man-yi-hits-japan2c-raising-fukushima-fears/4960034