Big Typhoon Bearing Down On Okinawa

U.S. military bases hunkered down, shops closed and airline passengers scrambled to catch flights out Saturday as a dangerous typhoon approached Okinawa.

Winnie, the season’s 13th typhoon, was packing winds of up to 100 miles per hour and was expected to hit the island by tonight.

As of 9 p.m. Saturday, the storm was about 220 miles southeast of Naha, Okinawa’s prefectural capital. It was moving west at 9 miles an hour, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.

U.S. military commanders on this subtropical island, located 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo, sent all but essential personnel to their quarters and restricted activity in anticipation of the typhoon.

A Japan Airlines official at Naha International Airport said extra flights had been scheduled Saturday so travelers could get out before the typhoon hits.

Shop owners were telling employees not to come to work today. Eight to 12 inches of rain were expected to pound Okinawa and nearby islands by tonight.

On Friday two U.S. air bases, Kadena Air Base and Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, evacuated planes and personnel from Okinawa, sending heavy aircraft and support crews to U.S. bases around the Pacific.