- Title: Clean-up continues amid unrelenting rain in southwestern Japan
- Date: 9th July 2020
- Summary: KUMAMURA, KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE, JAPAN (JULY 9, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DAMAGED BUILDINGS VARIOUS OF RESIDENTS CLEANING UP DEBRIS AND TRASH TREE BRANCHES AND DEBRIS ALONG ROAD VARIOUS OF EXCAVATOR AND OTHER MACHINERY MOVING MUD AND DEBRIS VARIOUS OF MUD AND DEBRIS SURROUNDING EXTERIOR OF POST OFFICE MUD AND WATER ON ROAD JOURNALISTS FILMING DAMAGE HITOYOSHI, KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE, JAPAN (JULY 9, 2020) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF DAMAGED RAMEN NOODLE RESTAURANT VARIOUS OF RESTAURANT OWNER TAKESHI YOSHIMURA SORTING GARBAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 76-YEAR-OLD RAMEN NOODLE RESTAURANT OWNER, TAKESHI YOSHIMURA, SAYING: "It's (restaurant) completely destroyed. The water came up to the second floor, above my knees." PILE OF GARBAGE IN FRONT OF YOSHIMURA'S RESTAURANT (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 76-YEAR-OLD RAMEN NOODLE RESTAURANT OWNER, TAKESHI YOSHIMURA, SAYING: "I will need to rebuild (my restaurant). It's faster and easier to rebuild from scratch than renovating." GARBAGE LINING STREET VARIOUS OF MAN SWEEPING MUD OVERTURNED VEHICLES IN BOGGY WATER SUBMERGED VAN
- Embargoed: 23rd July 2020 11:18
- Keywords: Hitoyoshi Japan Kumamoto Prefecture Kumamura aftermath clean up floods natural disaster
- Location: KUMAMURA AND HITOYOSHI, KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE, KAGOSHIMA CITY, KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE, AND KURUME, FUKUOKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN
- City: KUMAMURA AND HITOYOSHI, KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE, KAGOSHIMA CITY, KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE, AND KURUME, FUKUOKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Floods
- Reuters ID: LVA001CM362BR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: People in southwestern Japan continued to clean up from the aftermath of torrential rain that has lasted since the weekend, as heavy rain continued to pound the area on Thursday (July 9).
At least 64 people have died amid flooding and landslides, with police and rescue workers searching for 16 who remain missing, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.
Most of the dead are from Kumamoto Prefecture.
Residents in Kumamura, a town in that prefecture, and one of the hardest hit areas from flooding, worked to shift debris and garbage. Dozens of workers were seen clearing trees, debris, and mud.
Takeshi Yoshimura's ramen noodle restaurant was destroyed in the flood. The 76-year-old said he gave up on going to an evacuation centre when he saw the water level rising on his street.
"The water came up to the second floor, above my knees," he told Reuters.
Yoshimura said it will only take him another two to three days to clean up the damage, along with help from family and friends. He said he plans to start over and rebuild his business.
The country's meteorological agency says wide areas of western and eastern Japan can expect to see heavy rain and thunder until Friday (July 10). Landslide warnings remain in effect on the island of Kyushu.
(Production: Kim Kyung-Hoon, Akiko Okamoto) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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