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Tokyo (AFP) – Floods and landslides in western Japan have killed at least 199 people and, as research continues, the question of assessing danger from unprecedented phenomena is already emerging.
Authorities say they are also without news of dozens of people, media reports of about sixty missing.
This is already the worst weather disaster since 1982 and the balance sheet worsens by day in days.
Research is continuing with very limited chances of discovering people alive
"The critical time of 72 hours has passed, but we will continue thinking that there may be survivors," told AFP Mutsunari Imawaka, an official from Okayama province, the most hurt with that of Hiroshima
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who canceled a tour in four countries, including Belgium and France , traveled to Okayama province on Wednesday and plans a visit to another affected area on Friday.
He did not make a statement, but briefly spoke privately with some of the affected residents. Thousands are sheltered in public shelters, others have been welcomed by relatives.
"It's the first time", "I've never seen that", "my family has lived here for generations, we have never experienced such a phenomenon ": all the testimonies collected on the spot by the journalists of the AFP converge to point out an exceptional situation.
– Dilemma –
The height of water in the flooded parts of the Mabi district in Kurashiki (Okayama Prefecture) reached in places 4.8 meters, according to estimates made by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan.
Meteorologists found a record rainfall in 72 hours in 118 observation points distributed in about fifteen prefectures.
That the inhabitants could not leave in time raises the question of the methods of evaluation of the danger, admitted the government, strongly criticized by the opposition for its management of crisis considered late. The national crisis cell presided over by the prime minister was only put in place on Sunday morning when the death toll reached at least 30 dead on Saturday evening.
"We have seen in recent years disaster related to the rain well more deadly than before, we need to review what the government can do to reduce risk, "government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday afternoon.
" The frequency with which weather disasters occur has grown, and we live in a world where rules learned from past experience can no longer be applied, "warns Hiroyuki Ohno, head of the Sabo Institute, which studies landslides.
Nearly 70% Japanese territory consists of mountains and hills. Many dwellings are built on steep slopes or flood plains, in short risk areas.
Not to mention that many Japanese houses are made of wood, including traditional dwellings in rural areas.
But the experts also point to the Japanese warning system, which gives local officials with no experience of disaster management the decision to issue or not evacuation orders, which are also not binding.
As a result, people have to decide for themselves if they leave or stay, in situations where they often lack accurate information.
Local authorities are also obsessed with telling people to leave nothing. Suddenly, "reluctance to issue evacuation orders can create delays (…) and if the warning is given at night, no one hears," worries Hirotada Hirose, a management expert. disasters.
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