The torrential rains in Kyushu that have killed 76 people and left three others missing marked one month on Tuesday since a emergency warning for heavy rain was issued for both Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. About 1,400 people huddled in evacuation centers in Kumamoto Prefecture.
At least 1,025 people are now living in their damaged houses or staying in cars at night as of July 30, making it an issue to rebuild their lives.
In the village of Kuma, Kumamoto Prefecture, where 25 people were killed, residents observed a moment of silence at 9 a.m. At a special nursing home for the elderly called Senjuen in the village, where 14 of the residents died, bereaved families laid flowers at a stand especially set up and prayed for the souls of the deceased.
The torrential rains hit Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures on July 4, and a emergency warning for heavy rain was also issued for Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki prefectures on July 6. Heavy rain continued intermittently until late July, causing a series of river overflows and landslides across the region. According to a survey by The Yomiuri Shimbun, 16,063 houses were damaged in seven prefectures in Kyushu.
In Kumamoto Prefecture, where more than 9,000 houses were damaged, construction of 425 units of emergency temporary housing has begun and 33 households have been moved in.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
