Authorities have issued evacuation orders after days of heavy rainfall in south and western Japan. One person has died and 2 are missing after a mudslide destroyed 2 houses in Nagasaki prefecture.
A landslide struck in the city of Unzen in Nagasaki prefecture early on 13 August following heavy rainfall. Two houses collapsed, burying 4 residents. As of 13 August rescue workers had located the body of one of the victims, while another was found alive but seriously injured. Two people are still missing. Search and rescue teams, including members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force, are working at the site. Areas of Unzen city are also flooded.
Record Rainfall and Evacuation Orders
Mount Unzen, near Unzen City, recorded 80.5 mm of rain in 1 hour on 13 August. A record 571.5 mm of rain fell in 24 hours and 743.0 mm in 48 hours to 13 August. The previous 24-hour high was 486 mm set in 2006, and the 48 hour was 510 mm, also set in 2006.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued heavy rain and mudslide warnings for several areas. Authorities have issued evacuation orders in 13 prefectures, affecting around 1.7 million households or 3.4 million people. The prefectures include Niigata, Toyama, Gifu, Shizuoka, Shimane, Hiroshima, Ehime, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita and Kagoshima.
In a statement of 13 August, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “heavy rains may continue over a wide area, mainly in western Japan, over a long period of time over the next week. Strict vigilance is required.”
Flooding has also affected parts of Hiroshima Prefecture. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) reported around 20 houses were damaged after floods in Miyoshi city. One car was swept away by floods in Asakita-ku, Hiroshima City but no casualties were reported. Around 17 people were left isolated after floods cut road access in parts of Yamagata District. One person was rescued from a landslide in Shobara City.
FDMA reported some flooding in Shimane and Miyazaki Prefectures but without significant damage.
Social Media
土砂崩れの現場＝雲仙市小浜町雲仙 pic.twitter.com/kNvQTgE388
— ナガサキポスト＠長崎新聞社報道本部 (@nagasaki_houdou) August 13, 2021
【速報】長崎県雲仙市では午前４時過ぎに民家裏のがけが崩れ２棟が巻き込まれました。雲仙岳ではおとといの降り始めからの雨量がけさ９時までに７３１．５ミリにのぼっていて、８月の降水量の２倍以上の雨が観測されています。 pic.twitter.com/uPQAMSouhk
— TBS NEWS (@tbs_news) August 13, 2021
地元の雲仙市が結構酷かったよう
責任者の友達に連絡入れてみたところ、水引いておらず駐車場が足りないらしい。お盆の13日でそりゃそうかと。
平和な悩みだったが、来週まで雨続くので無事を祈る pic.twitter.com/2y9Nz6F602— 濱口 和朋@デザインフューチャー (@hamaguchi0330) August 13, 2021
Featured photo: File photo for illustration. Floods in Hiroshima, Japan, July 2018. Credit: Fire and Disaster Management
