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Typhoon hits Okinawa, reduces in intensity

It is now expected to strike the Japanese island of Kyushu.

By Ed Adamczyk
Typhoon Neoguri, seen from space (NASA)
Typhoon Neoguri, seen from space (NASA)

OKINAWA , Japan, July 8 (UPI) -- Typhoon Neoguri passed the island of Okinawa, reduced in intensity from the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane to a Category 3, and headed for the Japanese mainland.

Although maximum sustained winds of 97 mph were reported Monday and 106,000 electric customers were without power on Okinawa, only 1,000 residents evacuated the island and only 10 injuries were attributed to the typhoon.

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Neoguri passed 80 miles to the west of Okinawa, a major U.S. military base. Airports, schools and businesses were closed Monday, and all outdoor activity by the thousands of U.S. personnel and their families was banned Tuesday.

The storm is expected to reach Japan's southernmost main island, Kyushu, by Thursday morning. Kyushu's rivers are swollen and its land is saturated from recent heavy rain, and 84,000 people have already been evacuated from areas prone to flooding.

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