Japan PM Shinzo Abe visits flood-hit region, pledges financial support
Abe said the central government will allocate 400 billion yen ($ billion) to be used for reconstruction and support small businesses in their recovery efforts from the disaster.
At least 20 people were dead after heavy rains inundated on Saturday in southern Japan, including at elderly home facilities where more than a dozen perished and scores are still stranded.
Rescue helicopters plucked more people from their homes in the Kumamoto region. Up to 10,000 defense troops, the coast guard and fire brigades are taking part in the operation.
Large areas along the Kuma River were swallowed by floodwaters with many houses, buildings and vehicles submerged almost up to their roofs.
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Mudslides smashed into houses, sending people atop rooftops waiving at rescuers.
Rescue operations continued on Sunday for dozens of other residents and caregivers who were still at the riverside care facility Senjuen, where about 60 people were trapped when floodwaters and mud gushed in, officials said.
In Hitoyoshi City, the deluge poured into houses near the main train station. “The water rose to the second floor so fast and I just couldn’t stop shivering,” a 55-year-old woman who was visiting her relatives told the Asahi newspaper.
More than 75,000 residents in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima were urged to evacuate following pounding rains on Friday evening and into Saturday.
Flooding also cut off power and communication lines, further delaying the search and rescue.
Nearly 6,000 homes in Kumamoto were still without electricity Sunday, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Co.
In 2018, more than hundred were killed due to heavy floods in parts of Japan, with dozens reportedly missing.
The rainfall that exceeded 100 millimeters (4 inches) per hour has since subsided but the Japan Meteorological Agency has kept mudslide warnings in place across Kumamoto.
In 2017, 25 people were killed from torrential rains and flooding that swept through Japan, as rescue teams battled through thick mud to rescue more than 100 stranded.
(With inputs from agency)
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