6.3 Earthquake Off Japan Coast as Typhoon Vongfong Roars In
An earthquake with an estimated 6.3 magnitude has shaken the seabed 150km south of the Japanese coast, at a depth of 13km according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The quake comes as the world’s biggest super-typhoon this year, Vongfong, is striking the south of the country.
Have you noticed that here in the U.S. we're not hearing about the double threat to Fukushima ?
M 6.3 EARTHQUAKE - HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION - Oct 11, 2014
No tsunami warning has been given and no damage was reported as a result of the quake, which is believed to have been too weak, deep and far from shore to be a danger.
However, Japan is bracing itself for the arrival of this year's largest super-typhoon, Vongfong, which it is predicted may cause 15m waves when it reaches Okinawa island chain later today or early Sunday morning. Wind speeds are currently 261kph, although Vongfong is believed to be losing some of its power.
6.3 quake off northern Japanese coast as Typhoon Vongfong hits Okinawa
A 6.3 earthquake has been registered early Saturday off Japan’s northern coast by the US Geological Survey. The quake comes as the world’s biggest super-typhoon this year, Vongfong, is striking the south of the country.
The tremor occurred at 02:36 GMT, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported. There have been no reports of damage, casualties or a tsunami alert.
The epicenter of the quake was located 154 kilometers away from the southeastern city of Hachinohe, in Japan’s southeast Aomori Prefecture, at a depth of 13 kilometers.
"There is no question that (Vongfong) is an extremely large, extremely powerful typhoon," an official from Japan's Meteorological Agency told Reuters. "It's the strongest storm we've had this year, definitely, although it has lost some strength from its peak."
Reid Wiseman, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, tweeted a photograph of Vongfong, from space, saying: "I've seen many from here, but none like this."
Japan braces for super typhoon Vongfong
Posted at 10/10/2014 7:55 PM | Updated as of 10/10/2014 7:55 PM
Super Typhoon #Vongfong seen Oct 9 as it moved north through the Philippine Sea. Latest: http://t.co/7zk27CuVcg pic.twitter.com/TTKns0Uob3
— NASA (@NASA) October 9, 2014
TOKYO - Japan was bracing on Friday for its strongest storm this year, a super typhoon powering north towards the Okinawa island chain that threatens to rake a wide swathe of the nation with strong winds and torrential rain.Typhoon Vongfong, which at one point rivalled last year's devastating Haiyan in strength, was weakening slightly as it moved across the open ocean, but still packed winds gusting as high as 259 kph (160 mph)
.
"There is no question that it is an extremely large, extremely powerful typhoon," said an official at Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA).
"It's the strongest storm we've had this year, definitely, although it has lost some strength from its peak."
The storm, which will be Japan's second typhoon in a week, was south of Okinawa, and moving north at 15 kph (9 mph) with sustained winds of 185 kph (114 mph) as of Friday afternoon, the agency said.
The typhoon is moving extremely slowly, which raises the danger of landslides and flooding.
It was likely to be closest to Okinawa, an island chain 1,600 km (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo, and the home of the largest contingent of U.S. troops in Japan, late on Saturday or early on Sunday.
Television broadcast images of residents of Minami Daitojima, an island southeast of Okinawa, boarding up windows ahead of the storm.
Government officials were set to meet on Friday night to coordinate their response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference
.
"We are calling on all citizens to pay close attention to weather reports and respond promptly if the authorities advise them to evacuate," Suga said.
The typhoon was expected to weaken as it moved north, however, and likely to hit land on Sunday on the westernmost main island of Kyushu, before moving northeast towards Japan's largest main island of Honshu, where it is likely to weaken into a tropical storm. Tokyo was set for heavy rain, at the worst.
10/10/2014 -- Awesome view of Super Typhoon "VONGFONG" seen from space 台風 (1080p HD)
Tropical Storm Risk, which tracks typhoons, labelled Vongfong as a Category 4 typhoon, set to weaken to Category 2 before hitting Kyushu.
There are no nuclear plants on Okinawa, but there are two on Kyushu and one on Shikoku island, which borders Kyushu and may be hit. All are currently halted in line with national policy.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, crippled by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, is on the other side of the country, which is likely to see rain at the worst.
Vongfong, which means "wasp" in Cantonese, was following the path of Phanfone, a typhoon that slammed the mainland on Monday, disrupting transport and prompting evacuation advisories for hundreds of thousands of people. Seven people were killed, including three U.S. airmen swept out to sea and a man who died while surfing.
Refiner Nansei Sekiyu KK, which is wholly owned by Brazil's Petrobras, suspended marine berth operations at its 100,000 barrels-per-day Nishihara refinery in Okinawa on Thursday but crude refining operations were unaffected.
More than 1,000 rescue workers stepped up a search for the last eight missing victims of the Mount Ontake volcanic eruption, hoping to make progress before the storm hits.
It was unusual for two powerful typhoons to hit Japan in such quick succession, the JMA official said, but added the overall number of such storms had not increased.
"It's more coincidence than anything else, mainly due to the way the high pressure systems are located off Japan this year."
Two to four typhoons make landfall in Japan each year. (Additional reporting by James Topham; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
NATURAL DISASTERS
Is Fukushima capable of withstanding a super typhoon?
The strongest typhoon of the year is expected to hit Japan this weekend. Of particular concern is the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
The massive storm named Vongfong is expected to be near South Korea and Japan some time over the weekend, just days after the Japanese archipelago was struck by another typhoon which claimed the lives of at least six people. The Japan Meteorological Agency was quoted as saying that Vongfong's strength was "very much similar" to that of Haiyan, which ravaged the Philippines last November, leaving nearly 8,000 people dead or missing when gusts of around 300 kilometers (190 miles) per hour tore through the country.
Alongside strong winds and heavy rain capable of causing landslides and flash floods, such super storms can also trigger an abnormal rise of water called a storm surge which is often the greatest threat to life and property. Of particular concern in Japan is the area around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant which is still recovering from the 2011 quake and tsunami disaster that triggered a meltdown at the plant.
The operator of the battered power plant, TEPCO, has been having trouble with the early stages of an ice wall being built under the broken reactors to prevent radioactive water from leaking into the ocean. But is the plant also braced for the impact of a super typhoon?
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/6-3-earthquake-off-japan-coast-typhoon-vongfong-145031269.html#FimwHKn
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