Typhoon Vera

The storm's intensity resulted in catastrophic damage of unparalleled severity and extent, and was a major setback to the Japanese economy, which was still recovering from World War II.

In the aftermath of Vera, Japan's disaster management and relief systems were significantly reformed, and the typhoon's effects would set a benchmark for future storms striking the country.

Vera developed on September 20 between Guam and Chuuk State, and initially tracked westward before taking a more northerly course, reaching tropical storm strength the following day.

By this point Vera had assumed a more westerly direction of movement and had begun to rapidly intensify, and reached its peak intensity on September 23 with maximum sustained winds equivalent to that of a modern-day Category 5 hurricane.

Atmospheric wind patterns caused the typhoon to briefly emerge into the Sea of Japan before recurving eastward and moving ashore Honshu for a second time.

Though Vera was accurately forecast and its track into Japan was well anticipated, limited coverage of telecommunications, combined with lack of urgency from Japanese media and the storm's intensity, greatly inhibited potential evacuation and disaster mitigation processes.

Upon moving ashore Honshu, the typhoon brought a strong storm surge that destroyed numerous flood defense systems, inundating coastal regions and sinking ships.

Due to the unprecedented damage and loss of life following Vera, the National Diet passed legislation in order to more efficiently assist affected regions and mitigate future disasters.

The origin of Typhoon Vera can be traced back to a diffuse area of low pressure first incorporated into surface weather analysis early on September 20.

[4] Late that day, a reconnaissance airplane dispatched by the JTWC to analyze the disturbance failed to reach its center due to engine failure.

[3] The tropical cyclone's ability to quickly intensify was attributed to conducive atmospheric divergence and highly sustainable sea surface temperatures.

[4] Tracking into a westerly wind flow, Vera was forced eastward, resulting in a second landfall near Sakata, Honshu,[3] with an intensity equivalent to that of a Category 1 hurricane.

[4][7] Vera re-emerged into the North Pacific Ocean late on September 26, having weakened due to advection of cold air in addition to continued land interaction.

Vera's extratropical remnants continued to persist and track eastward for the next two days before the JMA last noted the storm at 1200 UTC on September 29.

[6] In addition to the storm's intensity, the severe damage and large death tolls were partially attributed to a lack of urgency from Japanese media in advance of Vera's landfall.

[6] Well in advance of Vera's landfall, heavy rainfall ahead of the typhoon occurred across the Tōkai region of Japan starting on September 23,[6] when the storm reached peak intensity over open waters.

[6] Due to the failure of multiple flood mitigation systems in quick succession, coupled with the narrow coverage of telecommunications exacerbated by Vera's strong winds, many persons in affected regions had very little time to evacuate.

[11] Nagoya was one of the worst impacted cities by Vera, and as a result of the storm surge and wind, its harbor was put out of service in under three hours.

[3] The effects of the typhoon's storm surge there were further worsened by the destruction of lumber yards in Nagoya Harbor, which set loose large quantities of logs that caused considerable damage to structures.

In the immediate aftermath following Typhoon Vera, the Japanese government established a disaster headquarters in Tokyo and allocated resources to aid impacted areas.

[6] Due to the large estimated damage cost of Vera's impacts, Japanese parliament was forced to introduce a supplementary national budget to cover the losses.

[6] United States lieutenant general Robert Whitney Burns ordered all available servicemen stationed in Japan to take part in typhoon relief efforts.

[3] As a result of breaches in flood defenses around Ise Bay, seawater continued to pour into inundated areas after Vera's passage, slowing down repair efforts.

One breach spanning 150 km (93 mi) across required 5,000 personnel, 32,000 sandbags, and bulldozers dispatched by the Japanese Ministry of Defense to relieve water flow.

[18] The unprecedented destruction caused by Vera prompted Japanese parliament to pass legislation in order to more efficiently assist affected regions and mitigate future disasters.

In October 1959, a special parliamentary session enacted several measures coordinated by various government ministries and provided subsidiaries to persons effected by Vera and other natural disasters in Japan from August and September of that year.

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone , remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression
Typhoon Vera damage at Handa
Black and white image of a large group of refugees in flood waters below two helicopters.
An American HSS-1 helicopter and Japanese Model 44A helicopter evacuating affected civilians