Japanese military helping an elderly woman to overcome flooding
The rain may have stopped in Japan, but the country is facing a long recovery process after floods and landslides killed at least90people in the southwest.
Japanese military helping an elderly woman to overcome flooding
An additional 13 people have since died from cardiac arrests, raising the total death toll to 103, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
With emergency rain warnings lifted, the country is now turning its focus to search and rescue efforts. Police, fire departments and the military are scouring affected areas for the dozens of people still missing or unaccounted for.
“We will unite and move swiftly to deliver those necessities to the disaster victims by coordinating closely with local government,” said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a meeting with the disaster response task force, also noting “the future need” to improve evacuation centers and temporary housing.
While authorities search for the missing, residents begin the cleanup, wading through flooded houses and streets.
Thousands of houses have been damaged, and even the ones that stand intact have been impacted. Nearly 17,000 households are still without power, and phone lines are down across multiple prefectures.
Further complicating repair efforts is the fact that many railroads and highways are closed, too flooded to operate, placing many affected areas out of reach.
Homes destroyed.
Rains began late last week and intensified over the weekend. Rivers overflowed, landslides crushed buildings, and cars were swept away by floodwater.
“The record rainfalls in various parts of the country have caused rivers to burst their banks, and triggered large scale floods and landslides in several areas,” Cabinet Secretary Suga said Sunday.
Two million people were forced to flee their homes, advised or ordered by the government to evacuate. Some, unable to leave, took shelter on their rooftops as flash floods swallowed entire streets.
In Kurashiki near Okayama, soldiers were deployed to carry elderly residents from their homes into waiting boats.
Kazuhiko Ono, who owns a secondhand book store in Hiroshima city, was unable to return to his home and store when the rains first arrived. His wife and children took shelter in the second floor of their home, while the store filled up with water.
“I’m so sad I lost many books,” Ono said. “I can never find them anymore.”
Hiroshima and Ehime prefectures were some of the hardest hit, though nine others were also heavily impacted.
Images from Kuyashiki, a city on the southern coast of Okayama Prefecture, show cars overturned or buried in mud.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported about 364 millimeters (14.3 inches) of rain fell between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday in the city of Uwajima — approximately 1.5 times the average monthly rainfall for July.
In Sukumo City in Kochi prefecture, 263 millimeters (10.3 inches) of rain fell in two hours, NHK said.
Suga warned that although the rain warnings had been lifted, residents should still watch for landslides. Those participating in cleanup efforts should be careful with heat strokes, as the next few days are expected to be hot and clear.
Prime Minister Abe announced on Monday that he has canceled a planned trip to Belgium, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt to concentrate on the disaster relief effort.
Around 73,000 personnel have been mobilized for search-and-rescue efforts.
