Authorities in Akita Prefecture, north western Japan, issued evacuation orders on Sunday 23 July due to flooding after a period of heavy rain. Some areas recorded more than 300 mm in 24 hours.
Severe damage was recorded in 17 cities, in particular in Daisen, Akita city, Yokote, Semboku and Yurihonjo, according to local disaster authorities. Almost 600 homes have been flooded, with over 230 of them in Daisen city.
Over 20,000 people in Daisen were ordered to evacuate their homes on Sunday 23 July. Evacuation advisories (recommendations) were also issued for other areas of Daisen and Akita. Dozens of roads have been closed and rail travel severely affected. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Heavy rain fell in the prefecture from 22 July. Japan’s Meteorological Agenc (JMA) said that 340 mm of rain had fallen in the city of Akita in 24 hours between 22 and 23 July 2017.
The storm caused flooding along stretches of the Omono River, while several other rivers were deemed at risk of overflowing their banks.
Social Media
大仙市協和小種地区が冠水や道路破損などで、ほぼ孤立状態になっています。
大仙市西仙北刈和野方面から、県道149号を通って秋田空港や秋田市方面へは通り抜けできません。
秋田市雄和大正寺地区経由でも不可です。#大仙市 #協和 #小種 pic.twitter.com/SAyQyhpwgj— 秋田インフォメーション (@akita_info) July 23, 2017
大仙市西仙北の強首地区は雄物川の堤防が決壊する可能性があるとし、
消防団が避難を呼びかけています。
周辺の道路は冠水し水位が上昇していて、車で通行が出来ない場所が多数ある為、早めの避難行動をお願いします。#大仙市 #西仙北 #強首 pic.twitter.com/6Xj4wGOurj— 秋田インフォメーション (@akita_info) July 23, 2017
大仙市社会福祉協議会は、今回の水害で被災した方々を支援するためボランティアを募集する予定です。詳細は明日２６日朝までに同福祉協議会のホームページに掲載されます。#大仙市 #水害 #ボランティア #復旧 pic.twitter.com/IXndNOpblE
— 秋田インフォメーション (@akita_info) July 25, 2017
I'm at 北都銀行 大曲支店 in 大仙市, 秋田県 https://t.co/0Yjv2NxfnN pic.twitter.com/dlJJFgidia
— aqua (@hiroshi_deyansu) July 23, 2017
https://twitter.com/p8Md0NctYhdzZwg/status/888971284830343168
Fukuoka and Oita
The flooding in Akita comes just days after as many as 25 people died in floods and landslides in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures in the south of the country.
Staggering amounts of rainfall were recorded during the flood event. In Asakura 516 mm of rain was recorded for a 24-hour period on 05 July. In fact around 500 mm fell between 12:00 and 21:00 hrs on 05 July, with 106.0 mm of rain falling in just 1 hour between 16:00 and 17:00.
