A Lethbridge man caught in a tropical cyclone said the experience left him in complete shock.
Tristan Mclennan, a Lethbridge native currently living in Nihonmatsu, Japan was driving through Tokyo Saturday when he got caught in Typhoon Hagibis head on.
The storm caused strong wind gusts and intense rainfalls that caused flash floods and landslides.
He said he was driving to attend a drift event at Sports Land Yamanashi. The drive would have normally taken four hours, but due to road closures and landslides blocking alternate transportation routes, the travel time ended up being two days.
“It was quite an uneasy feeling seeing the usually packed roads fully deserted,” Mclennan said.
Typhoon Hagibis is considered to be the most devastating typhoon to hit the Kantō region of Japan since Typhoon Ida in 1958.
Destroyed homes and city streets covered in water and mud was all Mclennan could see during the storm.
The Lethbridge man said his initial reaction was slightly scared, but he covered it up with jokes and laughter. However, underneath the trying positivity, he is worried for what the outcome will be.
According to The Japan Times written by AFP-JIJI on Oct. 15, Typhoon Hagibis has killed at least 73 people in 12 prefectures with many injured and other still missing.
Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan said rescue operations will continue to work all hours of the day and night with no plans of slowing down.
“Currently, in damaged areas, rescue work and searches for the missing are continuing around the clock,” said Abe.
The prime minister also said if necessary, the government will use reserve funds and will draft a supplementary budget for reconstruction work, according to The Japan Times.
Mclennan moved to Japan in February 2019 to work for a Professional Race team called the Powervehicles. He said his team was able to prepare for the Typhoon by barricading the shop doors and buying a water pump to drain excess water that could damage vehicles.
Mclennan said he was able to make it back home to Nihonmatsu safely with no damage to his home. He said this is because his house is located on a mountain side not effected by the flooding or landslides. He also mentioned his team’s car shop also appears to have no damage.
However, some of Mclennan’s friends were not as lucky and he is now doing what he can to help them.
According to The Weather Network, Typhoon Hagibis will affect Canada’s weather in eastern Canada by seeing several days of chilled weather. Central and western Canada are expected to see milder temperatures due to a dip in the jet stream caused by the storm. This can cause wind speeds of 240 km/h in just 18 hours over the weekend of Oct.11.
