A greenhouse in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, is submerged in water nearly up to the roof at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, due to the bank collapse of the Kinugawa River. Rice paddies and houses nearby are also flooded
Houses and farmlands in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures were flooded Thursday, Sept. 10, as Typhoon Etau which turned into a tropical cyclone brought about torrential rain in the Kansai and Tohoku regions. In Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, banks of the Kinugawa River collapsed and a large area in the eastern side of the river was swallowed up by the muddy stream. A number of houses were swept away and greenhouses and rice plants which were almost ready to be harvested were submerged under water.
“The river was flooded and water came closer and closer,” said Yukihiko Yamaki, 52, totally aghast by the heavy rain that he has never experienced before. He grows rice on 3 hectares of land a little less than 3 km away from the river.
The weather agency issued a rare heavy rain warning to residents of the two prefectures in the morning of the same day, urging them to take immediate action such as seeking secure shelter.
The area is in the harvesting season, but Yamaki had only harvested 40 percent of his rice crops because of bad weather. While he was concerned about the unharvested crops, they were hit by a torrent of water, he said. “If the water doesn’t subside for a long period of time, the rice plants would start sprouting before harvesting and become unmarketable,” he added.
JA Joso Hikari, a farm co-op serving the district, set up the same day an emergency headquarters headed by the JA’s head Masatsugu Kusama. The JA had signed an agreement with the Joso municipal government to offer supplies in case of emergency. In response to the municipal government’s request, JA officials distributed food at a shelter where some 200 people have evacuated.
“We hope to swiftly proceed with investigating the situation after the water subsides and safety is secured,” said JA official Kiyoshi Someno.
According to the land and infrastructure ministry, about 22,000 people were affected by the flood of up to 5 meters deep. To cope with the damage, the Disaster Relief Act was invoked in Joso by the Ibaraki Prefectural Government the same day. The central and prefectural governments will bear the expenses of setting up shelters.
According to police, one person was missing, six were seriously injured and 15 sustained slight injuries from the heavy rain. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said some 1,000 buildings were flooded or damaged.
(Sept. 11, 2015)