Oct 17, 2019 (NHK) - People in areas hit by Typhoon Hagibis are struggling to recover from flooding. NHK has learned the death toll has risen to 77. Rescuers are searching for 10 people who are still missing.
People in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, have begun the daunting task of cleaning up. Volunteers have been dispatched to help the elderly clear out mud from their homes.
A local resident said: " We needed assistance. I'm so grateful these young people have come to help out."
In Sagamihara City, south of Tokyo, police are searching for a couple in their 60s whom they believe were engulfed by a landslide.
The heavy rain burst at least 90 levees on rivers, flooding more than 30,000 homes.
More than 100,000 households have no water, and thousands of homes have no electricity. It is unclear how long it will take to fully restore these services.
Tohoku in northeast Japan was one of the worst-hit regions, with floodwaters swamping 18,000 hectares of land.
Nagano City in central Japan suffered extensive flooding from the Chikuma River. Homes were quickly submerged after a section of the embankment collapsed.
The land ministry believes the water level rose quickly along narrower sections of the river. It says that was a factor in the collapse of the embankment.
There was flooding in southern Tokyo as well. A branch of the Tama River overflowed, inundating about 600 households.
NHK has learned that workers who had been pumping water in the area were ordered to evacuate, which may have contributed to the flooding.
In the city of Kawasaki, southwest of Tokyo, flooding knocked out the power and water supply at a high-rise condominium housing about 1,500 people.
Meanwhile, weather officials are warning that northern and eastern Japan could be in store for more rain on Friday and Saturday.
They are urging people in disaster-hit areas to stay on alert, saying even a small amount of rain could trigger more flooding or landslides.
