Torrential rains leave quagmire in Japan
Helicopters pluck residents to safety
Japanese rescue workers rushed to save residents from rising waters Thursday after a slowmoving typhoon triggered floods and landslides in eastern parts of the country.
Television news channels showed dramatic live video of police, fire department and military helicopters plucking residents from terraces and rooftops in the city of Joso, about 30 miles northeast of Tokyo. The massive flooding occurred after a river burst through flood barriers.
No deaths were reported, but authorities said at least 15 people had been injured, including two seriously. Ninety-six people were reported rescued by late Thursday, and at least 10 others were still missing. Around 100,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned of continuing floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Etau, which crossed into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday after pounding central Japan with heavy rain and wind for two days.
“This is a seriously dangerous situation. We consider it an emergency,” Takuya Deshimaru, a spokesman for the agency said.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe interrupted work on a set of contentious national security bills to pledge assistance to the stricken area.
“The government will make all-out efforts to protect the people and will take all necessary disaster management measures,” Abe said.
Weather officials reported that parts of Tochigi prefecture, near Tokyo, recorded more than 20 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. That’s more than double the usual rainfall for the region for all of September.
The live coverage of rescue operations was reminiscent of an earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan in March 2011 that killed more than 15,000 people. A further 3,200 are listed as still missing.
In one particularly dramatic sequence Thursday, a member of Japan’s military was shown rappelling from a helicopter four times to pluck residents one-byone from the second story of a home. In another, two elderly people were shown being helped from a helicopter onto dry land — each tightly clutching a pet dog.
Other images broadcast showed people standing on the roofs of cars and trucks.
Much of the flooding occurred after the Kunigawa River broke through a section of flood barriers, spilling waist-deep water into streets and surrounding areas. The floodwaters extended 5 miles from the breach, according to Kyodo News Service.
Government officials had issued warnings of the approaching typhoon, and scores of airplane flights and bullet trains were canceled or postponed as a precautionary measure.
“This is a seriously dangerous situation. We consider it an emergency.” Takuya Deshimaru, a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency