New Okinawa Apartment Shakes in Typhoon Winds During Blackout

Howling winds bent palm trees sideways and rain hammered against apartment windows as Typhoon Champi battered Japan’s southern Okinawa islands on Friday, October 23, knocking out power to thousands of homes.

X user hello filmed the storm from a high-rise during a power cut, calling it “the biggest storm of my life.” “The power is out, even a new building is shaking, and above all the sound of the violent wind and heavy rain is incredible,” they wrote. One clip shows palms whipping in an empty parking lot below as gray sheets of rain swallow the town, while another shows rain lashing a glass door and pooling on a balcony.

The filmer added that they hoped the Okinawa Electric Power workers who would carry out repairs were safe. In another post, they said they had nothing to do during the blackout but play the piano and read.

The large and very strong typhoon, known in Japan as Typhoon No. 30, carried maximum gusts of 60 meters per second near its center. By 5 p.m., 14,470 households in Ishigaki, Taketomi and nearby areas were without power, according to Okinawa Electric Power. All flights to and from the Sakishima Islands were canceled, and schools and government offices were closed.