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Super Typhoon Sanba shrinks before striking Okinawa

Typhoon Sanba pounded Okinawa last weekend with sustained winds greater than 60 mph as it came within 19 miles east of Kadena Air Base and dumped seven inches of rain. According to the 18th Operations Support Squadron's weather flight, the strongest winds were reported Sunday morning at 6 a.m. with maximum gusts at 123 mph making it the strongest to hit Okinawa this year. (NASA courtesy photo)

Typhoon Sanba strikes Okinawa

High tide, rain and debris clog the drainage systems throughout the Okuma Recreational Facility and Kadena Air Base, after Typhoon Sanba hit Okinawa, Japan, Sept. 16, 2012. Flooding and trees blown onto lodging caused leadership to close the Okuma facility while Okuma staff and 18th Civil Engineer Squadron members work to reopen the facility by Sept. 20, 2012. Damage to military installations on-island is estimated at $240,000, and claims are still being tallied by 18th CES members. (Courtesy photo)

Typhoon Sanba strikes Okinawa

Published Sept. 17, 2012
By Airman 1st Class Tara A. Williamson
18th Wing Public Affairs

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- Named the strongest storm of the typhoon season, Typhoon Sanba pounded Okinawa last weekend with sustained winds greater than 60 mph and heavy rain for nearly 24 hours.

"Typhoon Sanba came within 19 miles east of Kadena Air Base and produced seven inches of rain," said Staff Sgt. Lauren Snyder, 18th Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight analyst. "The strongest winds were reported Sunday morning at 6 a.m. with maximum gusts at 123 mph."

After Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 1-Recovery was declared Sunday afternoon, cleanup teams from U.S. military installations island-wide headed out to assess the damage left behind.

"We've seen large dumpsters turned over, with the trash scattered everywhere," said Senior Airman Jared Sims, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron typhoon recovery team member, "many trees actually pulled out of the ground, roots and all, a lot of branches all around the base, trash cans, and things that people had left out on accident."

Overall, damage throughout the bases was reported as minimal, with the majority of reports being minor flooding, broken windows and downed trees. The 18th CES is still receiving calls for damage and have not yet calculated a total cost for damages.

Typhoon Sanba was the 17th storm of the season in the Western Pacific and the sixth to affect Okinawa this year.