The Buzz | Typhoon unleashes rain, strong winds in southern Japan

The second powerful typhoon to slam Japan in a week unleashed fierce winds and rain on southern islands yesterday, blowing off rooftops and leaving homes without power as it edged northward into an area vulnerable to flooding and mudslides.
Weather officials warned that the rainfall from what could be a record storm would be fierce. Warnings were issued days in advance for people to be ready to take shelter and stock up on food and water.
Several rivers on the main southwestern island of Kyushu were at risk of overflowing, officials said. Public broadcaster NHK TV said evacuation warnings were issued for more than 50,000 people in Okinawa and Kyushu, including Kagoshima and and Nagasaki prefectures.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Haishen, which means “sea god” in Chinese, was packing sustained winds of up to 162 kilometers per hour after battering Okinawa early yesterday.
Haishen was not only powerful — equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane — but also large in its reach, according to the meteorological agency.
Haishen’s projected course has it hitting the Korean Peninsula later in the week. Its course is similar to Typhoon Maysak, which lashed southern Japan last week, injuring dozens of people and cutting power to thousands of homes.