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Floods Wreak Chaos In North Japan
BBC News
July 14, 2004
At least five people have died and thousands have been ordered to evacuate after heavy rains caused flooding north of the Japanese capital Tokyo.
Victims were drowned or trapped under landslides, which covered their homes in Niigata prefecture, according to local officials.
More than 400mm (16 inches) of rain have fallen in the region since Monday night, and more is feared.
Local authorities have requested military help in the rescue operation.
Residents have been seen shoveling mud out of their homes, and many roads remain blocked. Some were said to be choked by falling telephone poles and trees.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said more heavy rain was likely. Parts of Niigata are forecast to receive another 160mm of rainfall by Thursday morning.
The rain has already broken records for the Niigata region.
Many elderly people have been affected by the floods, with some forced to await rescue on upper stories of buildings or rooftops.
The five who died were said to be aged between 72 and 83:
· In Sanjo, one man died when his house flooded
· Two women were found dead in the same town, one in a flooded field and the other near local government offices
· A farmer died after a mudslide destroyed his house in Tochio
· A woman was found dead in Izumozaki after her house was destroyed by a landslide.
On Tuesday, military helicopters reportedly rescued 66 children from their nursery school in Nakanoshima.
"I was scared," a little girl told Reuters news agency. "When I looked out of the window, it looked like a river out there."
About 1,000 children were forced to spend the night inside their schools.
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