Miyazaki, Japan - August 31, 2024

Powerful Typhoon Shanshan has wreaked havoc in large swathes of Japan, with southwestern coastal city of Miyazaki being one of the hardest-hit areas.

Shanshan, the 10th typhoon this year, has weakened to a tropical depression since it made landfall in the country’s south-west on Thursday.

In Miyazaki, the Typhoon knocked out power, toppled trees, flooded roads and blew off entirely or partially roofs of hundreds of buildings. To protect themselves from heavy rains, locals have to cover their roofs with blue tarps.

The Shimizu family was cleaning up their damaged houses when a CCTV reporter visited the neighborhood. All their three houses were left in shambles. 87-year-old Masayuki Shimizu, who has lived here for over 50 years, recounted the horrific moments when the typhoon struck at night.

"I heard a loud crash and it was a sound I had never heard before. Then came the sound of glass shattering, with stones flying over. When I went [outside,] I saw that it [the roof] had already been blown away, and the power was knocked out by that time. The noise was extremely loud, and everything in the house was wet," he said.

Shimizu said that his son's house had just been renovated at a significant cost. But now much of the outer wall has fallen off, adding another financial burden for repairs.

"It was just renovated ten days ago. We spent several million yen (about tens of thousands of U.S. dollars), and now everything was destroyed," he said.

Repair costs and future living arrangements are weighing on the family's budget.

"At this age, I'm not really thinking about rebuilding. I need to discuss with the children and grandchildren how to do with the vacant store in front and this house. For now, we'll do emergency repairs and live here temporarily," said the old man.

According to data from the local government, Typhoon Shanshan had damaged 750 homes in Miyazaki City as of Saturday, mostly due to strong winds. When normalcy will return for residents remains uncertain.

Typhoon Shanshan is now still causing havoc, with rain and gusts hitting southern Japan.

SHOTLIST:

Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture - Aug 31, 2024
1. Various of damaged houses, traffic on street;
2. Resident Masayuki Shimizu introducing his damaged house;
3. Damaged house interior;
4. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Masayuki Shimizu, resident (ending with shots 5-6):
"I heard a loud crash and it was a sound I had never heard before. Then came the sound of glass shattering, with stones flying over. When I went [outside,] I saw that it [the roof] had already been blown away, and the power was knocked out by that time. The noise was extremely loud, and everything in the house was wet.";
5. Damaged roof;
6. Various of damaged house interior;
7. Various of damaged house exterior;
8. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Masayuki Shimizu, resident:
"This is my son's house. It was just renovated ten days ago. We spent several million yen (about tens of thousands of U.S. dollars), and now everything was destroyed.";
9. Various of damaged house exterior, other belongings;
10. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Masayuki Shimizu, resident:
"At this age, I'm not really thinking about rebuilding. I need to discuss with the children and grandchildren how to do with the vacant store in front and this house. For now, we'll do emergency repairs and live here temporarily.";
11. Various of damaged houses, workers repairing roof.

[Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]