Evacuation ordered, power out, flights and trains canceled as typhoon approaches Japan

TOKYO â€”  Thousands of people in northern Japan were ordered to evacuate Friday because of the risk of flooding and mudslides from a powerful typhoon approaching in the Pacific Ocean.

Flights and train travel in the Tokyo area were canceled as warnings were issued for strong winds and heavy rainfall from Typhoon Ampil, expected to reach waters near Tokyo in the evening and then continue north, bringing stormy conditions to the northern Kanto and Tohoku regions on Saturday.

It had sustained winds of 101 mph with higher gusts Friday morning and was moving north at about 9 mph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Ampil was not expected to make landfall and could weaken to a tropical storm by Sunday.

Power was out in more than 5,000 households, mostly in coastal Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures, east of Tokyo, but also in Saitama to the north.

An evacuation order was sent to the more than 320,000 residents of the city of Iwaki in Fukushima prefecture. More than 30 shelters were set up in school gymnasiums and community centers.

Evacuation warnings were also sent to at-risk areas in the cities of Asahi and Mobarashi in Chiba. Ampil was expected to reach the waters off Chiba by Friday evening.

Tokyo Disneyland, usually open until 9 p.m., closed at 3 p.m. because of the typhoon. Yamato Transport, which makes Amazon and other deliveries in Japan, said no deliveries would be made in Tokyo and nearby affected areas Friday and Saturday.

Shinkansen bullet trains running between Tokyo and Nagoya were halted for the day, a common response to typhoons. Bullet trains serving northeastern Japan and some local Tokyo trains were halted or switched to a slower schedule.

Dozens of departing and arriving flights were canceled at Tokyo’s two airports, Haneda and Narita, as well as at Kansai, Osaka and Chubu airports. The flight cancellations affected about 90,000 people, according to Japanese media reports. Airports and train stations had been packed Thursday with people seeking to avoid travel disruptions from the typhoon.

Officials warned people to stay away from rivers and beaches and be wary of powerful winds.

“We foresee extremely fierce winds and extremely fierce seas,� said Shuichi Tachihara, the meteorological agency’s chief forecaster.

Japanese TV showed residents of the island of Hachijojima boarding up windows. Ampil moved past the Hachijo group of islands south of Tokyo by midday as it headed northward.

Kageyama writes for the Associated Press.