“Torrential rains of unprecedented magnitude” hit the country this weekend, causing extensive material damage.
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Rescuers are searching for people missing after severe flooding and landslides hit central Japan on Monday, September 23. At least six people have died, according to NHK and other media, after severe weather in Ishikawa Prefecture, already severely affected by an earthquake on January 1st.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) described “torrential rains of unprecedented magnitude” this weekend. These exceeded 540 mm in the city of Wajima, the heaviest continuous rain recorded since the beginning of the data recording in 1976. Watercourses of the Noto peninsula, turning into muddy torrents that flooded roads and several localities.
As of Monday, some 3,700 homes remained without power, according to the Hokuriku power company, and many roads were blocked. Widespread evacuation orders had been issued over the weekend. Rainfall levels in Japan have reached record levels in recent years in several parts of the country, with floods and landslides sometimes fatal.