Tropical Storm
Typhoon Hagibis
Japan
Oct 2019
Overview
Crawford adjusters mobilise as Japan recovers from devastation caused by Typhoon Hagibis
UPDATE — 17 October 2019
Extensive recovery efforts are currently underway across large parts of Japan in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, as the country tackles the widespread impact of the strongest wind event to impact the region in over 60 years. According to reports, there have been over 70 confirmed fatalities to date, with a small number of people still missing.
With Meteorological officials stating that approximately 40 percent of the region’s annual rainfall was recorded over a two-day period, the intensity of the event and scale of the devastation has hampered response efforts. In total, dykes and levees at over 50 locations on 37 rivers across seven prefectures were breached as a result of the deluge.
The resulting flooding has caused widespread damage to infrastructure, residential and commercial properties, including several industrial parks located near major rivers. The floodwaters and landslides have also severely disrupted transport activity in the affected areas.
According to a release from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, over 9,900 houses have been flooded across the region. Efforts are ongoing to restore electricity and water supplies to badly hit areas, but thousands of properties are yet to be reconnected.
The primary focus at present is on pumping out water from the impacted locations, followed by efforts to remove the remaining mud, silt, and debris. It is expected that these efforts will be ongoing for many weeks to come.
Crawford currently has a team of adjusters on-the-ground in the affected territories. Our specialists are working closely with affected clients both locally and internationally as the initial surge of claims come in. It is expected that the number of claims will continue to rise over the coming days as the clean-up operation gathers pace.
In addition to the logistical challenges of gaining access to the flooded regions, response efforts are also hampered by a significant shortage of labor given ongoing construction efforts in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics, coupled with efforts to repair the damage caused by Typhoon Faxai. Pressure on available resources is, therefore, impacting quote lead times and commencement of repairs, while also impacting costs.
Given the clear scale and complexity of the losses, Crawford’s will capitalize on the full strength of its global capabilities to ensure that all claims are handled in the most effective manner to achieve a swift resolution. In the aftermath of such a devastating event, we are fully focused on helping to support and restore the businesses and communities that have been affected by this event.
If you require further information about the damage caused by Typhoon Hagibis or should you need adjusting assistance, please see the relevant contact details on this market update.
If you have claims that require our attention or need more information on this event, please contact any of the Crawford team members listed.
Japan
Futoshi Suezawa
Country Manager, Japan
T +81 3 5540 6698
E: futoshi.suezawa@crawford.co.jp
Gareth Cottam
Head of Cyber – Asia, Senior Forensic
Accountant (Manager) T: +65 6632 8694
M: +65 9727 6017
E: gareth.cottam@crawford.asia
Asia
Mike Campbell-Pitt
President, Asia
T: +852 2101 0921
M: +852 6292 7300
E: mike.campbellpitt@crawford.asia
Scott Reichelt
Managing Director, GTS & CFAS, Asia
T: +65 6632 8699
M: +65 9733 5702
E: scott.reichelt@crawford.asia
Simon Shaw
Technical Director, GTS
T: +65 6632 8634
M: +65 9834 7667
E: simon.shaw@crawford.asia
London
Andrew Bart
Global President
Crawford Global Technical Services
T: +44 207 265 4096
M: +44 7802 591 040
E: andrew.bart@crawco.co.uk
Benedict Burke
Chief Client Officer
Global Client Development
T: +44 207 265 4041
M: +44 7919 552624
E: benedict.burke@crawco.co.uk
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ORIGINAL POST — 12 October 2019
Reported as the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 60 years with winds up to 216km/h (134mph), Typhoon Hagibis made landfall on 12 October 2019 just before 19.00 (22.00 GMT) in the Izu Peninsula, southwest of Tokyo, and moved up the east coast.
Over the subsequent 12 hours, it moved north across the main island of Honshu significantly impacting the prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, Nagano, Gunma, and Fukushima. The storm had weakened as it approached Japan but still remained highly dangerous, with maximum winds of up to 195 km/h (122 mph) — equivalent to a Category 3 Atlantic hurricane.
Typhoon Hagibis triggered floods and landslides as it battered the country with wind speeds of 225km/h (140mph). In the town of Hakone near Mount Fuji more than 1m (3ft) of rain fell on Friday and Saturday, the highest total ever recorded in Japan over 48 hours.
Separately, at 18.21 local time, a moderate earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 struck off the coast of Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo.
The quake posed no tsunami risk but also shook buildings in Tokyo, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to double up on mudslide warnings because the soil had already been loosened by unprecedented levels of rainfall.
Further north in Nagano prefecture, levees along the Chikuma River gave way sending water rushing through residential areas, inundating houses. Several other rivers had also overflowed, including Tama River near Tokyo. Throughout the impacted prefectures, rivers have breached their banks in at least 14 different places, inundating residential neighbourhoods. Further flooding could occur as several surrounding prefectures began releasing water from dams, letting it flow downstream.
Many bullet train services were halted, and several lines on the Tokyo metro were suspended for most of Saturday. All flights to and from Tokyo's Haneda airport and Narita airport in Chiba have been cancelled - more than 1,000 in total.
More than 110,000 homes were still without power by Sunday evening, with others experiencing water outages. Sadly, as of Monday morning, 33 fatalities are reported, with more than 20 people still missing and the number of injuries reported over 176 and rising.
The full extent of the widespread damage is only beginning to emerge because many areas remained under water. Experts have warned from the start that assessing the damage is difficult because the flooding has struck about a dozen rivers, causing some of them to spill out in more than one spot.
The most significant damages reported so far includes:
- Significant agricultural damage, in particular, fresh produce stored in warehouses in Saitama
- 10 rows of bullet trains parked at East Japan Railway railyard, near Nagano Station were damaged by floodwaters in the Nagano prefecture
- Several industrial park areas located nearby major river, such as Chikuma river in Nagano have been flooded – notably factory and warehouse facilities
- Tornado damage in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, mainly to residential buildings
- Wider area logistics have also been impacted due to landslides and wash out of key infrastructure damage, levee banks and bridges (rail and road) washed away
- Various damage and closures of tourist resorts at key locations damaged
- Massive and widespread floodwater inundation of residential areas
Crawford’s Catastrophe Response
Crawford’s Catastrophe team is on the ground working on claims from Typhoon Hagibis and assisting local and international insurers in Japan. Futoshi Suezawa, Country Manager of Crawford Japan, and Gareth Cottam, Senior GTS adjuster (Japanese language capable) are leading the response locally.
Crawford will be capitalizing on both its resources in the region as well as its global network to mobilise quickly the teams and capabilities necessary to meet the multiple demands of this event. Our adjusters on the ground have an average of 30 years of experience handling all types of residential and commercial claims, including large complex and catastrophic losses.
Gareth Cottam, Futoshi Suezawa and the Japan team will liaise with clients in the local language and work seamlessly with the support team from overseas.
If you have claims that require our attention or need more information on this event, please contact any of the Crawford team members listed.
Japan
Futoshi Suezawa
Country Manager, Japan
T +81 3 5540 6698
E: futoshi.suezawa@crawford.co.jp
Gareth Cottam
Head of Cyber – Asia, Senior Forensic
Accountant (Manager) T: +65 6632 8694
M: +65 9727 6017
E: gareth.cottam@crawford.asia
Asia
Mike Campbell-Pitt
President, Asia
T: +852 2101 0921
M: +852 6292 7300
E: mike.campbellpitt@crawford.asia
Scott Reichelt
Managing Director, GTS & CFAS, Asia
T: +65 6632 8699
M: +65 9733 5702
E: scott.reichelt@crawford.asia
Simon Shaw
Technical Director, GTS
T: +65 6632 8634
M: +65 9834 7667
E: simon.shaw@crawford.asia
London
Andrew Bart
Global President
Crawford Global Technical Services
T: +44 207 265 4096
M: +44 7802 591 040
E: andrew.bart@crawco.co.uk
Benedict Burke
Chief Client Officer
Global Client Development
T: +44 207 265 4041
M: +44 7919 552624
E: benedict.burke@crawco.co.uk