Thousands still in shelters after deadly flooding in Japan
TOKYO — More than 7,000 people were still in evacuation shelters and many more were struggling with basic needs Thursday after severe flooding and landslides last week in western Japan that caused at least 200 deaths.
The disastrously heavy rainfall caused damage over a widespread area, with most of the deaths in and around Hiroshima. Power and water outages were common, and damage to roads and railway tracks disrupted deliveries of food and relief supplies.
Water shortages were even affecting some of the evacuation centres, which are usually priority destinations for relief supplies.
Takao Kusunoki, an evacuee staying at a junior high school in Ehime, said he has not been able to take a bath for four days now, and could only clean himself with a wet towel. “I’m so sweaty, and I want to take a bath as soon as possible,” he told the Mainichi newspaper. “We need our water system restored.”