Floods force evacuation of more than 60,000 people in Japan – Observer

Authorities on Saturday ordered the evacuation of more than 60,000 residents in central Japan due to flooding caused by heavy rains, which have already left one person missing.

About 44,700 residents of the cities of Wajima, Suzu and Noto in Ishikawa Prefecture have been forced to evacuate the area, local authorities said.

As of 11 a.m. (3 a.m. in Lisbon), flooding had been confirmed in about ten rivers in the region, said Masaru Kojima, an official at the Land Ministry.

Three of those rivers overflowed and flooding hit nearby communities, the official told the France-Presse news agency, adding that damage to buildings and infrastructure was being assessed.

One person was missing in Wajima, where several buildings were flooded and roads were blocked by landslides, the ministry said in a statement.

At least one house was hit by a landslide, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said, but did not provide further details.

The Japan Meteorological Agency has placed Ishikawa Prefecture on high alert, warning of deadly dangers.

A meteorologist at the agency, Satoshi Sugimoto, warned of “torrential rains of unprecedented magnitude.”

Japanese public television NHK broadcast footage of the streets of Wajima underwater.

Wajima and Suzu were among the cities worst hit by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck on January 1, which killed at least 236 people in central Japan.

The region was still recovering from the earthquake, which destroyed buildings, destroyed roads and caused a large fire.

About 16,000 residents of the neighboring cities of Niigata and Yamagata, further to the northeast, were also ordered to evacuate, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Precipitation levels in Japan have reached record levels in recent years in several parts of the country, with sometimes deadly floods and landslides.

Experts believe that climate change is increasing the frequency, intensity and unpredictability of these phenomena.