Typhoon Neoguri has ravaged Okinawa, and now it's headed for the Japanese mainland. (Via Getty Images)
The storm made landfall in Okinawa Tuesday night, causing flash floods, with 20 injuries and two deaths reported so far. (Via Sky News)
Despite the strength of the storm, damage was limited thanks in part to the preparedness of the Okinawans, who are used to these kind of typhoons, as many were quick to point out.
"The Okinawans, the Japanese, know typhoons like nobody else. What lockdown means is everybody has to go to their home of residence and they're not supposed to leave their house." (Via BBC)
"They know how to ride out a storm. And a lot of the buildings on this Island are re-inforced concrete which means the infrastructure damage and the physical damage to the buildings should be minimal." (Via CNN)
Nevertheless, the Japan Meteorological Agency reported Neoguri caused record downpours in eastern Japan, and Okinawa is still on alert for landslides.
So far, the typhoon hasn't really matched the expectations before landfall.
As a writer on EarthSky points out, "Neoguri was earlier expected to be the strongest typhoon ever to strike the country of Japan during the month of July." But it weakened and lost super typhoon status before making ground.
Plus, the storm has weakened even further since hitting Okinawa, with TheWeather Channel reporting sustained winds around 50 mph, down from Tuesday's peak winds of 112 mph.
Bloomberg reports authorities have evacuated close to 90,000 people ahead of the storm's expected landfall on Kyushu Thursday.
Weather Underground predicts the storm will make landfall on there around 3 a.m. local time before moving on to Shikoku and Honshu in the following days.
