Typhoon in Japan. File photoTOKYO, Aug 13 More than 72,000 people in Shizuoka Prefecture have been ordered to evacuate as Typhoon Meari, which has been assigned serial number 8 in Japan, is approaching, the Kyodo news agency said. The evacuation order is the fourth out of five possible threat levels, which means a recommendation to evacuate to a safe place while evacuation is still possible. The fifth and highest level following it means the need to save a life due to an immediate threat. Authorities are calling for the evacuation to be completed before a threat level five is declared, when there is a direct threat to life. Typhoon Meari, which means «echo» in Korean, emerged south of Japan on Friday. In the afternoon, it is expected to hit the Pacific coast of Japan. Shizuoka Prefecture may be the first to take a hit. According to weather forecasters, more than 200 millimeters of rain has already fallen here over the past day, and up to 300 millimeters can fall by Sunday morning. Currently, the typhoon is located 200 kilometers southwest of Shizuoka and is moving north at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour. The pressure in the center of the typhoon is 1000 hectopascals, the wind speed in the center is 20 meters per second, with gusts up to 30 meters. By Sunday morning, the typhoon is expected to be over the northeast coast and go northeast into the Pacific Ocean.
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