Northern Kyushu is experiencing extreme weather conditions. Last night alone saw a number of locations coping with more than 100 mm of rainfall per hour. The Japan Meteorological Agency has warned people to be cautious of flooding and landslides, particularly in Fukuoka and Oita Prefectures. The possibility of strong winds and thunderstorms continue to remain a threat.
In Fukuoka and Oita Prefectures, heavy flooding has resulted in 22 persons unaccounted for (two in Iizuka City, one in Asakura City, three in the town of Keisen, five in the village of Toho, and eleven in Hita City, Oita Prefecture). One male in Hita City involved in a landslide is said to have experienced a cardiac arrest. Since early morning, a coordinated effort has been made to support remote and isolated communities. The Self Defense Force, police authorities, and fire fighting department are expected to deploy up to 6,000 people for rescue activities.
Public services have also been hit by the weather, with widespread delays caused to train services, particularly on the Hohi Main Line and Hitahikosan Line. Highways and bridges in Oita Prefecture have also been severely damaged by the weather conditions. Kyushu Electric Power have confirmed 5,700 electrical outages in Fukuoka, Oita, and Kumamoto Prefectures since 6 am today.
On average, Northern Kyushu is said to have experienced around 80 mm of rain per hour since last night. Evacuation orders have been issued to 430,000 people across Kyushu. In Kurume City, which experienced 120 mm of rainwater from around three to four in the morning, evacuation directions have been given to 132,959 households (300,512 people). The same orders have been given to 20,525 households (54,412 people) all across Asakura City, which saw 350 mm of rainwater fall in just a six-hour period, and 12,651 households (40,333 people) in Hita City.
For more information weather forecasts about your area, please consult the Japan Meteorological Agency website: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html/
Sources: NHK (1, 2), Mainichi Shimbun, Nikkei Shimbun and the Japan Meteorological Agency website.
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