Typhoon Leaves Okinawa, Moves Toward Mainland Japan.

While tropical systems in the Atlantic Basin have been sputtering, leaving many breathing a sigh of relief, a typhoon in the Western Pacific had thousands of Americans on edge.
Typhoon Danas, once packing winds of 132 miles per hour, made a beeline toward the Japanese island of Okinawa.  Okinawa is the home to Kadena Air Force base, which houses more than 18,000 American military personnel and their families. Luckily, Danas didn't make a direct hit on the island or the base and no immediate reports of damage were available.

Typhoon Danas Targets Okinawa

In an email to The Weather Channel the public affairs office on Kadena Air Force base says they used a graduated system of warnings, ranging from TC-4 to TC-1.  TC-4 is a general state of readiness where people have the basic essentials already stocked away. TC-1 is where 50 knot or greater winds are expected within 12 hours.  It also means that all facilities, except mission critical components, will be closed and people should fill available containers with drinking water.  While at TC-1 earlier in the day Tuesday, the bas has now been backed down to TC-4 and normal activities can resume.
As for staying informed about the latest, in the States, Kadena's public affairs office says this: "Stateside friends and family like the Kadena Air Base Facebook page, and many people have already liked that page so they can keep up with what their family and friends are doing overseas."



Link: http://www.weather.com/news/typhoon-threatens-american-troops-20131007