Japanese Typhoon Kills 17

A powerful typhoon slammed the Japanese island of Izu Oshima, south of Tokyo, on Wednesday, causing mudslides and leaving at least 17 dead and another 50 unaccounted for. Typhoon Wipha, which brought nearly five inches of rainfall, is the strongest storm to hit the Japanese region in 10 years. Operators worked to protect the Fukushima nuclear plant in preparation of the storm, and luckily the damaged facility seemed to be spared the worst of the storm. In Tokyo, flights were canceled, bullet trains suspended, and schools closed on Wednesday. “I heard a crackling sound and then the trees on the hillside all fell over,” one woman told the local news in Izu Oshima. “Then mud slid as far as the house."