Thread: Japan evacuates 92,200 households as torrential rains pound the area

Japan is evacuating tens of thousands of residents in the southern island of Kyushu amid torrential flooding.


Fifteen people are already feared dead and nine are missing, Reuters reported, citing local media outlets. Authorities have already told 92,200 households in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima to leave amid concerns of rising flood waters and landslides.


“The heavy rainfall is likely to continue until Sunday, and people in the area are required to be on maximum alert,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, saying he could activate as many as 10,000 soldiers to join rescue operations.

Several homes have been cut off and one bridge was washed away after the Kuma River flooded.


The floods and landslides have ravaged the region, leading Japan’s Meteorological Agency to initially post its highest level of alert, though the alarm was later downgraded.


This isn't the first time heavy rains have sparked mass evacuations in the country; in July 2018, more than 2 million people were forced to leave their homes after up to 70 inches of rain led to some of Japan's worst flooding on record, according to the Washington Post.

Japan evacuates 92,200 households as torrential rains pound the area | TheHill

Torrential Rains Cause Floods in SW Japan, with Nearly 40 Feared Dead

Nearly 40 people were feared dead as torrential rains continued to hit Japan’s southwestern island of Kyushu, with river banks at risk of bursting on Monday morning and new evacuation orders put in place.


Flooding and mudslides that began at the weekend have killed 21 people so far. A further 18 people were showing no vital signs and presumed dead pending official confirmation, and 13 people were missing, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference.

“I offer my deepest condolences for those who have passed from the torrential rains,” Suga said, adding that some 40,000 members of the Self-Defence Force were involved in rescue missions.


He added that evacuation centers were also working on preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus by distributing disinfectant and asking evacuees to maintain their distance from each other.


As of Saturday, some 200,000 have been ordered to evacuate their homes, according to Kyodo news agency.


The floods are Japan’s worst natural disaster since Typhoon Hagibis in October last year that left about 90 people dead.

Torrential Rains Cause Floods in SW Japan, with Nearly 40 Feared Dead