Typhoon Vongfong Battering Japan

Typhoon Vongfong has roared into Japan leaving a trail of flooding, damage and death.

The storm struck the Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu prefects on Monday.  At least one person is missing and presumed dead and 61 people were injured in the initial waves of the storm.

The storm struck on the last day of a three-day holiday weekend.  The city of Shizuoka ordered 212,000 households making up over 506,000 people to leave ahead of the storm.

Railway service across the nation was suspended in preparation for the storm.

The storm is weakening rapidly as it moves across the nation; it had been downgraded to Tropical Storm status around noon eastern time.