Tifón Vera (Isewan). 1959

A más de 4.000 ascienden
los muertos por el
tifón «Vera», en el Japón

El número de personas
muertas a causa de los efectos producidos
por el tifón «Vera», a las dos
semanas de asolar éste las costas del
Japón, alcanza la cifra de 4.341 y el de
heridos se eleva a ¡7,693, mientras 753
personas han desaparecido.
Un representante de la policía informa
que 1.548.794 personas han quedado
sin hogar.

26-27 de septiembre de 1959, Nagoya; Yokohama; Tokio, Japón: Huracán Vera (5.000 muertos, 15.000 heridos). El tifón Vera, con vientos de más de 225 Km/h, el peor en la historia de Japón, atacó la región central de Honshu, centrando su fuerza contra la ciudad de Nagoya, hundiendo el carguero de 7.413 tn. Changshe, lanzando troncos contra las casas, derrumbando casas y edificios de apartamentos

Super Typhoon Vera (international designation: 5915) was the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in recorded history. With winds of 160 mph, Vera slammed into the southern coast of Japan, causing widespread damage and flooding, with over 5,000 dead. Japan Meteorological Agency gave a special name to Vera: Isewan Typhoon (伊勢湾台風, Isewan Taifū?).

A low pressure area between Guam and Chuuk slowly organized into a tropical storm on September 21. Named Vera, it intensified to a typhoon the next day as it tracked northwestward. On the 23rd, Vera rapidly intensified, reaching peak winds of 190 mph winds that day. The winds, measured by reconnaissance aircraft, are subject to dispute due to the unknown conversion factors. Regardless, the supertyphoon was very intense with a pressure of 896 mb.
Unlike most super typhoons, which weaken due to upwelling or other outside factors, Vera remained very strong, slowly weakening as it continued northward. Strong divergence aloft and continued warm water temperatures allowed Vera to remain the equivalent of a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. On September 26, Vera struck the coast along the Kansai region of Japan with winds of 160 mph. The storm weakened over the Archipelago while rapidly moving the northeast, and re-emerged into the northern Pacific Ocean on the 27th as a minimal typhoon. It continued to the east, and became extratropical on the 28th.
As a result of its destruction, the Japan Meteorological Agency gave a special name to Vera: "Isewan Typhoon".

Vera will likely be recorded as one of Japan's worst natural disasters. Heavy storm surge combined with flooding, as well as extreme winds, caused the deaths of 4,580 people with 658 missing. Vast areas of crops were destroyed, sea walls ruined, roads and railways greatly damaged, and overflown rivers contributed to a damage estimate of $261 million (1959 USD, $1.67 billion in 2005 USD). Over 32,000 people were injured, and 1,596,855 people were left homeless. The combination of the death toll and the great number of people left homeless contributed to large outbreaks of dysentery, gangrene, tetanus and other epidemics

Formed
September 21, 1959
Dissipated
September 28, 1959
Highestwinds
315 km/h (195 mph) (1-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure
896 hPa (mbar)
Fatalities
5,238 direct
Damage
$261 million (1959 USD)$1.81 billion (2006 USD)
Areasaffected
Japan