Compilation of clips posted online showing the wind impact as the typhoon went over western Japan. According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA), this was the first typhoon since Yancy in September 1993 to have sustained winds of at least 85kts to hit the mainland (Yancy made landfall in Kagoshima and Ehime Prefectures with sustained windspeeds equivalent to a category 3).
The JMA also tends to use just the numerical designation (in this case, number 21) and not the named international designation (in this case, Jebi). Another difference is that a cyclone which goes over an island landmass (like say Okinawa) is considered a “passage” as opposed to an actual “landfall”. Thus even though Jebi
Typhoon 21 (Jebi) also had sustained winds equivalent to a category 3 with gusts up to 209km/h in some spots and it produced a record storm surge which inundated Kansai International (KIX) and other coastal areas. A tanker that broke loose and rammed the Sky Gate Bridge R (the only artery for both vehicle and rail between the airport and the mainland) caused major structural damage to a portion of it (the lanes which brought traffic into the airport). This was something actually avoidable; this is why ports are closed well in advanced and large vessels moved out to sea (out of the direct path of the storm) to prevent damage to both the vessels and the port itself. In this case, the tanker anchored in Osaka Bay but the winds were so strong that it simply dragged its anchors. The damaged bridge just adds to what will become a congestion point for both travelers and the logistical supply chain (it’s a key hub both domestically and internationally) until it can be repaired.
Other notes: the water in the aquarium tank is moving that way because the wind was so strong in some places, that it caused high rise buildings to sway (many are built on earthquake shock absorbers) and that large ferris wheel was actually locked into place.
Since the JMA rarely associates this category classification with typhoons, it’s clear some folks weren’t expecting these type of winds based on more recent typhoons (thus the business as usual aspect with truckers moving product and even delivery workers on mopeds). Trucks were lifted and easily flipped over (as were other smaller vehicles), scaffolding and construction cranes came tumbling down, roof tiles/metal corrugated roofing blown off making for dangerous projectiles (one woman was killed when some slammed through a window). People roaming around trying to combat the elements with an umbrella is pretty much standard fare during typhoon season in Japan but for this storm, it was obviously not the smartest thing to do.
As a result, there are reports of over 600 people who sustained injuries along with 11 confirmed deaths (and that number is expected to go up). One of those deaths occurred when a man was blown off his roof. This again is common where people do not take steps to prepare (when warnings are posted) before the first impacts are felt. Some wait until they notice the wind picking up and then decide to start securing property at which point, it can become dangerous due to both sustained winds and stronger gusts (which the above exemplified).
Locations like Osaka have much stricter building codes in the city (for both earthquakes and typhoons) but still, there was a lot of property that sustained major damage. There are still a lot of smaller structures mixed in between highrise buildings that aren’t up to code. And in the actual suburbs, it’s a different story with a mix of older and newer structures.
The region has sustained significant damage on top of the previous storm systems that had already dumped a lot of rain on western Japan (not to mention the M6.1 quake that hit Osaka back in June which also caused some damage).
UPDATE: to make matters worse, this typhoon (even as it weakened to a tropical storm and headed off into the Sea of Japan) caused enough rain on Hokkaido to trigger major landslides on several mountains from a M6.7 earthquake that occurred in the southern part of the island at 3:08AM on September 7 Japan local time.
