Torrential rains from severe tropical storm Mekkhala have killed at least two people in Taiwan and prompted the evacuation of more than one million residents in Japan as twin storms approach the region. Mekkhala, which was downgraded from a typhoon, still carries gusts of up to 108 kilometres per hour. Heavy rain has already pounded parts of southern and western Japan as well as Taiwan, where Mekkhala triggered floods and landslides across the island.
Taiwan's Flood Tragedy
In Taiwan, a 73-year-old woman died when she was swept away by floodwaters in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, and a 49-year-old woman was found dead inside a submerged car in Hsinchu county. A 65-year-old man is missing in Hsinchu after going to check on his farmland. More than 1,600 people were evacuated from their homes, and schools and offices were shut in several areas, while some train lines were suspended.
Japan's Precautionary Measures
In Japan, four people have been injured, and authorities have warned about risks of flooding and landslides. Local authorities have advised more than one million residents to evacuate from their homes, warning of potential landslides and other heavy rain-related disasters. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled a total of 120 flights to and from the southern regions of Okinawa and Kagoshima. Automaker Toyota suspended operations at a plant in Kyushu because of road closures caused by heavy rain, while Nissan also said it planned to halt some production lines.
Converging Storms
Mekkhala is expected to skirt the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu over the weekend, affecting a swath of Japan including densely populated Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. The weather system is expected to converge with tropical storm Higos, which was also swirling further out in the Pacific Ocean. This could result in the atmospheric phenomenon known as the Fujiwhara effect, when two storms interact, making forecasting their movements and strengths more difficult.
