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Wikipedia Commons Licence. Akatani River was overflowed by the Northern Kyūshū Heavy Rain in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture on July 7, 2017.
15 Nov 2024

Hurricane Season 2024: Six dead and several missing after Japan floods in September - 200,000 were urged to evacuate in November

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Six people died, and 10 others remain missing following September's  record-breaking rainfall that triggered floods and landslides in Japan's Ishikawa prefecture.

These floods occurred during the latter parts of September. 

The cities of Wajima and Suzu,are  still recovering from a devastating earthquake on January 1, were among the worst affected by the torrential downpour, which began Saturday and continued until midday on Monday, September 23. (03:00 GMT).

On Sunday, both cities received double their average September rainfall in a single day, according to local media. The deluge caused dozens of rivers to overflow, cutting off roads and isolating over 100 communities across the region.

Two victims were discovered near a landslide-hit tunnel in Wajima, including a construction worker repairing roads. Other fatalities included two elderly men and a woman, as reported by the Japan Times.

Japan's Meteorological Agency issued its highest "life-threatening" alert for Ishikawa on Saturday September 21, later downgraded to a regular warning on Sunday. However, authorities urged continued vigilance as heavy rainfall was expected to persist until Monday at around noon.

Floodwaters inundated temporary housing for those displaced by January’s earthquake. NHK footage showed streets in Wajima submerged. The region is still grappling with the aftermath of the 7.5-magnitude earthquake, which killed 236 people, destroyed buildings, and ignited a massive fire in the beginning of 2024.

Approximately 4,000 households were left without power on Monday Deptember 23, according to the Hokuriku Electric Power Company.

Over the first weekend of November, more than 40,000 residents across four cities in Ishikawa, including Wajima, Suzu, and Noto, were evacuated. An additional 16,000 people in Niigata and Yamagata prefectures, north of Ishikawa, were also ordered to leave their homes, AFP reported.

In the beginning of November, nearly 200,000 people in western Japan were urged to evacuate due to the risk of flooding and landslides following a tropical storm.

Warm and humid air is causing heavy rainfall in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey, which by then had been downgraded to a tropical depression, according to the meteorological agency.

In the city of Matsuyama, the highest-level warning was  issued, and approximately 190,000 residents were advised to seek safety immediately.

Typhoon Kong-rey killed two people in Taiwan, according to media reports. 

 

Photo Credit: The cover photo is not from the recent floods. Wikipedia Commons License. 

 The Akatani River was overflowed by the Northern Kyūshū Heavy Rain in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture on July 7, 2017.

Date 7 July 2017

Source: 平成29年6月30日からの梅雨前線に伴う大雨及び台風3号に関する情報|国土地理院

Author:  国土地理院企画部防災推進室