China Daily Global Edition (USA)
At least 156 dead as Japan searches for missing
Damage from the devastating rains has reached 7.2 billion yen, official says
The death toll from flooding caused by torrential rains in western Japan reached 156 on Tuesday, with dozens of people still unaccounted for, Japan’s top government spokesman said.
The country’s Self-Defense Forces members, firefighters, policemen and other rescue workers are racing against time to search those trapped in their homes for 72 hours since the disaster — the period considered decisive for finding survivors.
Two million people were forced to evacuate by the flooding. Rains have given way to sunshine, and scorching heat is posing new challenges for rescue workers and the evacuees. Trains stopped and major roads closed in some parts of the affected areas, making it difficult to deliver relief supplies and drinking water.
Landslides caused by the flooding have cut off Kure city, Hiroshima prefecture, and its approximately 220,000 residents from the outside world, according to Asahi Shimbun. Nothing is on the shelves in supermarkets and convenience stores in the city.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Kure Naval Base was opened to local residents, allowing them to take baths in one of four MSDF ships anchored at the base.
A fresh evacuation order was issued on Tuesday for 25,000 residents in the town of Fuchu in Hiroshima prefecture. The Enoki River running through the town overflowed earlier in the day after driftwood blocked its flow.
Some of Japan’s elementary and high schools become evacuation centers when disasters occur.
Funds on the way
The Japanese government has formed a crisis response unit. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged to swiftly provide emergency relief by using reserve funds before local government make requests.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday that the government is expected to use reserve funds of about 2 billion yen ($18 million) for the relief.
To address food and water shortages in disaster-hit areas, Abe said trucks taking supplies to convenience stores and other retailers will be treated as emergency vehicles.
The Japanese government still does not know the magnitude of the damage the disaster caused, with local authorities still working hard to get a real picture of their losses.
NHK reported that about 254,000 homes were affected by water outages in 12 prefectures in western Japan as of Tuesday morning, according to the health ministry.
Agricultural, forestry and fishery damage has reached 7.2 billion yen, Japan’s Farm Minister Ken Saito said, as the deluge devastated mountain forests and paddy fields while causing the collapse of reservoirs.
People said it is necessary to review the response to disasters like the flooding and landslides in western Japan.
In a meeting with Abe on Monday, Ehime Governor Tokihiro Nakamura noted that the Japan Meteorological Agency did not issue an emergency warning for his prefecture, which was hit heavily by the downpours, until the last minute.
Suga said the government will consider linking disaster prevention and weather information from the JMA with evacuation information from local authorities.
In a show of support for the disaster-hit areas, people in Tokyo have been shopping at the stores local governments open in the capital to promote their produce.