text: typhoon sarah ( 1959 ) typhoon sarah was among the deadliest typhoons on record in the western pacific ocean , killing around 2 , 000 people . it formed during the peak of the busy 1959 pacific typhoon season near guam , and moved generally to the west - northwest . continued observations from the hurricane hunters allowed the joint typhoon warning center ( jtwc ) to track sarah from its origins to its peak as a powerful typhoon , with maximum sustained winds estimated at 305 km / h ( 190 mph ) on september 15 . shortly thereafter , the typhoon struck the small japanese island of miyako - jima , where the barometric pressure fell to 908 . 1 mbar ( 26 . 82 inhg ) , the second - lowest on record for the country . sarah turned to the north and northeast , weakening from its peak intensity . on september 17 , the typhoon made landfall just west of busan , south korea with winds of 185 km / h ( 115 mph ) , the nation 's strongest landfall at the time and only to be surpassed by typhoon maemi in 2003 . sarah later became extratropical over the japanese island of hokkaido on september 18 , although the remnants persisted for several days , crossing into the russian far east and later dissipating on september 23 . on miyako - jima , sarah damaged all of the crops and destroyed about 6 , 000 houses . damage was estimated at $ 2 million , and there were seven deaths . the damage prompted the japan meteorological agency to give sarah the special name of the " miyakojima typhoon " . however , the effects were worst in south korea , and sarah was described as the worst typhoon there in 50 years . wind gusts there peaked at 169 km / h ( 105 mph ) , the highest at the time in the country . high winds and waves heavily damaged the port of busan . nationwide , the storm destroyed over 14 , 000 homes and left 782 , 126 people homeless , causing over $ 100 million in damage . at least 669 people were killed in south korea , and an additional 1 , 200 fishermen were lost offshore the country . in japan , widespread flooding killed 47 people and destroyed 16 , 632 homes . meteorological history on september 10 , a tropical disturbance persisted within the intertropical convergence zone near pohnpei . when the hurricane hunters approached the system at 02 : 00 utc on september 11 , they observed a center with several small circulations about 130 km ( 80 mi ) east of guam . on that basis , the joint typhoon warning center classified the system as tropical depression sarah . the depression passed near or just north of guam , as tracked by radar . by late on september 11 , the hurricane hunters were reporting flight - level winds of 95 km / h ( 60 mph ) . early on september 12 , the jtwc upgraded sarah to a tropical storm after the circulation became better defined . the storm exhibited a parabolic trajectory that was slightly to the west of the typical september storm . it moved westward initially but gradually curved to the northwest . a hurricane hunters flight at 14 : 15 utc on september 12 observed a 65 km ( 40 mi ) eye diameter , prompting the jtwc to upgrade sarah further to typhoon status , with maximum sustained winds of 120 km / h ( 75 mph ) . after becoming a typhoon , sarah quickly intensified ; at 08 : 00 utc on september 13 , the hurricane hunters reported flight - level winds of 185 km / h ( 115 mph ) . subsequent analysis estimated that the typhoon attained these winds at 00 : 00 utc that day . at 12 : 00 utc on september 14 , the jtwc estimated that sarah intensified to the equivalent of a category 5 on the saffir - simpson scale , based on aircraft estimates . the typhoon intensified further , and late on september 14 the hurricane hunters reported flight - level winds of 250 km / h ( 155 mph ) , estimating surface winds of 315 km / h ( 195 mph ) . the intensity was adjusted slightly downward in a post - analysis , with peak winds of 305 km / h ( 190 mph ) at 06 : 00 utc on september 15 about 415 km ( 260 mi ) east of taiwan . in addition , the typhoon attained a minimum barometric pressure of 905 mbar ( 26 . 7 inhg ) . about three hours after sarah reached peak winds , the typhoon moved directly over miyako - jima , an island of japan east of taiwan . sarah weakened while curving to the north , and it passed west of okinawa late on september 15 . the winds dropped quickly ; by 24 hours after peak intensity , sarah 's winds had decreased from 305 km / h ( 190 mph ) to 185 km / h ( 115 mph ) . the typhoon turned and accelerated to the northeast toward the korean peninsula , re - intensifying slightly . by late on september 16 , the winds increased to 215 km / h ( 130 mph ) while sarah passed just east of jeju island . the typhoon weakened again to winds of 185 km / h ( 115 mph ) by 00 : 00 utc on september 17 . that day , sarah made landfall a few miles west of busan , south korea at that intensity ; this made sarah the strongest typhoon to strike the country since records began in 1904 , and it remained as such until typhoon maemi surpassed it in 2003 . the typhoon very quickly emerged into the sea of japan , its circulation becoming poorly defined . on september 18 , sarah became extratropical after moving over the northern japanese island of hokkaido . the remnants continued to the northeast initially before turning sharply westward , passing over sakhalin . the circulation progressed into primorsky krai in the russian far east before turning back east . former typhoon sarah struck sakhalin a second time on september 20 while moving east - southeastward . after passing through the kuril islands , the remnants of sarah dissipated on september 23 . preparations and impact early in its duration , sarah brought gusty winds and passing showers to guam . shortly after reaching peak intensity , sarah passed near the island of miyako - jima . the pressure there fell to 908 . 1 mbar ( 26 . 82 inhg ) , which was the lowest recorded for the station and the second - lowest on record for japan , both as of 2003 . the typhoon produced sustained winds of 196 km / h ( 122 mph ) and gusts up to 240 km / h ( 150 mph ) before the anemometer broke . the winds destroyed over 6 , 000 homes and wrecked all of the crops . sarah also left the island without power for an extended period of time after damaging power lines . the combination of high winds and rough seas destroyed a fishing pier and 670 m ( 2 , 200 ft ) of seawall , as well as several tidal weirs . sarah also sank four fishing boats and damaged seven others . on miyako - jima , sarah killed seven people , injured 88 others , and left $ 2 million in damage . the heavy damage on the island prompted the japan meteorological agency to give sarah the special name of the " miyakojima typhoon " . sarah was part of a series of typhoons striking the island in 1959 , causing food shortages that forced the population to change their diet . the storm brushed okinawa with gusts of 135 km / h ( 84 mph ) . sarah was the worst typhoon to strike the korean peninsula in 50 years . the peak wind gust in south korea was 169 km / h ( 105 mph ) , which was the highest for a typhoon at the time , with records dating back to 1904 ; as of 2010 , the value has fallen to the ninth place . damage was heaviest at busan where the storm struck . the port there sustained over $ 100 , 000 in damage , and nearby american military bases had over $ 900 , 000 in damage . coastal floods washed away or damaged 15 , 379 homes in the busan area , leaving 25 , 834 people homeless . the waves also damaged or sank 5 , 400 boats . nationwide , floods damaged 127 , 000 hectares ( 313 , 000 acres ) of crop fields . throughout south korea , sarah destroyed over 14 , 000 homes and left 782 , 126 people homeless , thousands of whom were injured . the ministry of social affairs estimated property damage at over $ 100 million , and the typhoon killed at least 669 people . after the storm , the care relief agency launched an appeal in the united states , collecting $ 18 , 500 worth of shoes and underwear for storm victims . the australian red cross also provided assistance to the country , including money , sheets , and blankets . due to the ongoing korean war and sarah , south korea lost much of its fishing fleet , resulting in diminished catches over the subsequent decades . the typhoon also caused a rise in the wholesale price index , in conjunction with political uncertainty . a fleet of 46 boats left near busan on august 28 to fish near island . the fleet failed to return after the passage of typhoon sarah , and local newspapers reported all 1 , 200 fishermen were lost . late in its duration , sarah struck hokkaido , producing a 6 m ( 20 ft ) storm surge at taisei along the southwest coast that left behind a sediment layer 60 m ( 200 ft ) inland . before the storm arrived , the united states evacuated plans from marine corps air station iwakuni to misawa air base , although sarah approached closer to the latter base . the storm affected much of the nation , flooding many communities , including 14 , 360 houses . across the country , the typhoon damaged 778 boats . the storm also damaged 3 , 566 ha ( 8 , 810 acres ) of crop fields . nationwide , sarah destroyed 16 , 632 homes , injured 509 people , and killed 47 . overall , typhoon sarah caused around 2 , 000 deaths , making it among the deadliest typhoons on record .