Recovery operations are underway after Japan’s worst rain disaster left a trail of unprecedented destruction.
In west Japan, residents are picking up the pieces of what remains of their homes after record-breaking torrential rain battered the region, claiming at least 157 lives and leaving 57 people missing. The Ministry of Health estimates 8,400 people remain in evacuation shelters, unable to return to flooded homes, while 254,000 households in Hiroshima and Okayama are suffering from water outages. Receding waters in some districts are giving people a headstart to clear away damage but the lack of water supply is hindering cleaning efforts.
On Thursday, a large rain trough swept over the region, bringing heavy rainfall that triggered flash flooding and landslides across 15 prefectures — a large-scale disaster not seen since 1982. Hiroshima and Okayama were among the hardest-hit regions alongside neighboring Tottori, Ehime, Kochi, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Gifu, Kyoto, and Hyogo prefectures. Some cities within Okayama prefecture saw flooding of nearly 30 percent of the total area, while the number of partially or fully destroyed homes nationwide exceeds 10,000.
The township of Fuchu in Hiroshima, which was worst affected by landslides and floods, was ordered to evacuate just after 10 a.m. on Tuesday after the banks of the Enoki River running through the town burst, signalling the disaster is far from over. Rescue efforts are underway as overflowing water filled with debris and mud is currently flooding homes.
