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‘A scary thought’ - Jamaican teachers reflect on passage of deadly typhoon in Japan

Published:Wednesday | October 16, 2019 | 1:40 AMPaul Clarke/Gleaner Writer
In this photo taken yesterday, a man surveys a home damaged by Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano, Japan. More victims and more damage have been found in typhoon-hit areas of central and northern Japan, where rescue crews are searching for people still missing.
AP
In this photo taken yesterday, a man surveys a home damaged by Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano, Japan. More victims and more damage have been found in typhoon-hit areas of central and northern Japan, where rescue crews are searching for people still missing.

Some Jamaican teachers in Japan are reporting that they are safe after the passage of the worst typhoon to hit the Asian country in more than a decade last weekend.

Seventy-four people reportedly died in the powerful Typhoon Hagibis, which roared across central and eastern Japan last Saturday, leaving scenes of carnage and destruction across several prefectures.

A number of Jamaicans with whom The Gleaner made contact said they were not in danger because of where in Tokyo they have been given residence, which was mostly on the outskirts of the capital. They added that the Jamaican Embassy had sent them letters detailing the dangers associated with the typhoon.

“It was really a scary thought because being from a tropical island, I am used to the idea, but never comfortable with the thought of being impacted by a storm, and this one was said to be huge with very powerful winds,” said Chystel Wynter, who is among the growing list of Jamaican teachers in Japan.

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Deja James, who moved to Japan in 2018 and teaches English in Tokyo but lives on the outskirts, also said that she was not affected.

“We fared well. We kept in regular touch through social-media apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram,” she said.

In addition, James pointed out that Japanese meteorologists were on top of things with very accurate information.

“We got regular updates before the typhoon struck land. We had messages sent to our phones, stating that there would be a typhoon. And what I could appreciate about it was that you had messages on national television, which gives viewers the option to select whatever language they speak,” James said.

She pointed out that this language selection move was borne out of the experience of another major natural disaster which hit Japan last year.

The Gleaner has been unable to get an update from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on the status of Jamaicans in the Asian country in the wake of this latest disaster.

paul.clarke@gleanerjm.com