One person was confirmed dead and 10 others were missing after “unprecedented” torrential rains in parts of Ishikawa Prefecture, which began on Saturday, continued to flood rivers and trigger mudslides on Sunday.
The cities of Wajima and Suzu, as well as the town of Noto — which are still recovering from the powerful earthquake that struck the area on New Year’s Day — have been hit particularly hard by the deluge, with many buildings and roads inundated and the Meteorological Agency warning of the possibility of further flooding and landslides.
One person was confirmed dead in Suzu. One person each was reported missing in Suzu, Wajima and Noto, while three workers involved in recovery efforts of a collapsed national road in Wajima were also missing.
In addition, four residents remained unaccounted for after the Tsukada River flooded in Wajima, the Ishikawa Prefectural Government said.
A Level 5 emergency warning issued Saturday for Wajima, Suzu and Noto, which urged residents to take immediate life-saving action, was downgraded to a regular warning on Sunday morning. But authorities called for continued vigilance due to the risk of landslides and flooding in rivers and low-lying areas.
According to the agency, Wajima saw a record 497.5 millimeters of rain since Friday evening through 8:40 a.m. Sunday, while Suzu saw 385.5 mm. About 45,000 residents in the affected areas had been ordered to evacuate.
“The amount of rain in these cities and towns is unprecedented,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government’s top spokesman, told reporters Saturday. “Multiple rivers have overflowed their banks, and there have been many cases of buildings being flooded.”
Hayashi said that the Self-Defense Forces had been deployed to the area to aid rescuers and the relief effort. SDF troops had previously been sent to the area following the Jan. 1 earthquake, and are due to wrap up that mission at the end of this month.
Meteorological officials had earlier urged residents not to be complacent following the warning.
“Even in places that are not usually thought to be prone to disasters, we are urging the highest level of caution,” agency official Satoshi Sugimoto told a news conference.
“If you wait until a special warning is issued to evacuate, it could be too late,” he said.
Photos and video posted to social media showed roads and sidewalks covered in brown water and rivers flooding.
Meanwhile, a number of calls for help had come from Wajima, Suzu and other areas, NHK reported, noting reports of landslides and houses having collapsed, with rescuers looking for any people who may be trapped.
Meteorological Agency officials have expressed concern that the approaching Tropical Storm Pulasan, known in Japan as Typhoon No. 14, could add to the danger brought by Saturday’s rains.
Although the storm is expected to weaken as it nears Japan on Saturday evening and through Sunday, officials said it was still forecast to bring strong winds and more heavy rain.
The rains come nearly 10 months after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake devastated the area, killing more than 280 and damaging over 80,000 homes.
Information from Jiji added