The staff was unable to rescue the deceased residents after water broke through the windows and the patients floated off the tables. Coronavirus fear drives Japanese flooding victims to seek shelter in cars. Some evacuees chose to take refuge in their cars, while others stayed with friends. [6] The Japan Meteorological Agency stated the amount of rain was record-breaking for the region and was never seen before. An aerial view of the floods in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, 4 July 2020, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, ‘Unprecedented rainfall’ in Japan leaves at least 15 dead, Heatwaves have become longer and more frequent since 1950s, Global warming 'could cause mass die-off of tropical plants by 2070', 150 years of industrialisation reverses 6,000 years of global cooling, UK summers ‘could regularly hit 40C by end of century’, You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully, Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable, Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties, We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification. TV broadcasts showed footage of houses swept away by mudslides in the city of Ashikita, and cars submerged to their windows and residential areas swamped beneath muddy water in the city of Hitoyoshi. [10], Evacuees and local officials raised concerns regarding emergency shelter given the simultaneously ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Rescuers are searching for 14 people missing after floods hit the Kumamoto region on Japan's southwestern island of Kyushu About 34 people are either confirmed or … I could feel the vibrations from the churning water through the road next to the riverbank.”. July 8, 2020 at 7:46 p.m. UTC Torrential, record-breaking rainstorms have deluged southern and central Japan since Friday, killing at least 58 … [5], On 4 July 2020, heavy rain caused flooding in the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. At least 15 people in Japan are feared dead, nine are missing and one person was seriously injured on Saturday after unprecedented heavy rain fell overnight triggering floods and landslides. [13] Eight homes were swept away in Ashikita, Kumamoto. Dozens of people were left stranded on rooftops and more than 75,000 people were urged to evacuate from the Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures in western Japan, about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo, following the rain. The event is officially referred to as Reiwa ni-nen shichi-gatsu gōu (令和2年7月豪雨, "Heavy rain of July, Reiwa 2") by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Companies including Toyota, Canon, and Panasonic temporarily halted production in the area as a precaution for employee safety. Read our full mailing list consent terms here. July 7, 2020 KOJI HARADA/KYODO NEWS VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS A man walked on a heavily damaged road following heavy rain in Kumamura, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan … Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 alert for floods and landslides, ... An aerial view of the floods in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, 4 July 2020 [4] According to a rescue volunteer, when they reached the old age home, the water was still on the first-floor level. [13] 203,200 residents were instructed to shelter in place, and 109 shelters were opened in the region. More than 75,000 residents were urged to evacuate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? In eleven different locations and breached one levee residents after water broke through the and. Kyushu has forced about 3 million residents to evacuate their homes and there were 12 different events. 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