As Typhoon Khanun makes a U-turn, residents of Okinawa brace for another lashing with wind and rain

This image made from video provided by NTV shows a damaged statue lying on the street, following Typhoon Khanun, in Naha, Okinawa prefecture, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. The typhoon that damaged homes and knocked out power on Okinawa and other southern Japanese islands this week was slowly moving west Thursday but is forecast to make a U-turn and dump even more rain on the archipelago. (NTV via AP)

Khanun was stronger on its first pass, with sustained winds of 180 kph (111 mph), when it crossed the islands Tuesday, damaging homes and knocking out power. The Okinawa prefectural government said 47 people were injured, three of them seriously. Two deaths were being investigated as typhoon-related but are not included on the list of casualties.

Vehicles move past a fallen tree in Naha, south of Okinawa, Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023, as a typhoon was was affecting the Okinawa islands. A powerful typhoon slammed Okinawa and other islands in southwestern Japan Wednesday with high winds injuring multiple people as it moved west making its way toward mainland China. (Kyodo News via AP)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday noted the typhoon had had a major impact on daily life. He expressed sympathy for those affected and promised to do the utmost to provide support.

At one point, the storm left nearly 220,000 homes, or about 30%, of those in Okinawa, without power, according to the Okinawa Electric Power Company. As of Friday night, about 22,000 still lacked electricity, but power is expected to be restored to most of them by Saturday, the utility said.

People go out shopping in the wind and rain caused by Typhoon Khanun in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. The typhoon that damaged homes and knocked out power on Okinawa and other southern Japanese islands this week was slowly moving west Thursday but is forecast to make a U-turn and dump even more rain on the archipelago. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Okinawa’s airport was packed with passengers stranded since earlier this week. About 80 Hong Kong travelers had been stuck in a hotel that lost power Wednesday, said Steve Huen, executive director of Hong Kong-based travel agency EGL Tours. He said 26 of them flew home Thursday, and the rest of the group were to leave Friday.

The airport floor is filled with people waiting due to flight cancellations, in Naha, Okinawa, southern Japan, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. The typhoon that damaged homes and knocked out power on Okinawa and other Japanese islands this week was slowly moving west Thursday but is forecast to make a U-turn and dump even more rain on the archipelago. (Kyodo News via AP)

Khanun’s U-turn will take it away from China, where rain from an earlier typhoon caused severe flooding this week around Beijing.