Record Rainfall Causes Flooding and Landslides in Coastal Japan #

One person has died and several people are missing after record rainfall brought flooding and landslides to coastal Japan, in the same region that was hit by a massive earthquake on New Year’s Day.

The highest emergency warning was issued for Ishikawa prefecture, urging residents to take extreme precautions in what was described as the heaviest rainfall the region has ever experienced. The warning was later downgraded, but residents were asked to remain on high alert.

The torrential downpour caused 16 rivers in the area to breach their banks. One person in the city of Suzu died after their home was swallowed by a landslide. At least six people are missing, and tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate. The storm has knocked out power in more than 6,200 households.

This region has already endured destruction and misery once this year. On January 1, a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto peninsula in Ishikawa, killing hundreds of people and causing widespread destruction that the region is still recovering from.

Temporary housing built for people who lost their homes in the earthquake was surrounded by several feet of murky floodwater. Four workers who were doing earthquake restoration work in Wajima city have gone missing, possibly caught up in a landslide.

Earthquakes make soil unstable and prone to further landslides, especially after heavy rains. The recent heavy rainfall has compounded the challenges faced by a region still recovering from the New Year’s Day earthquake.