A record amount of torrential rain fell today over the Noto Peninsula in central Japan – an area that was hit by a strong earthquake in January, Reuters reported. The heavy rainfall caused an evacuation order to be issued for tens of thousands of residents and caused power outages in more than 5,000 households, BTA reported.
Two people are missing in the city of Wajima, and the local fire department has been inundated with requests for help, Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported. A record 121mm of rain fell on Wajima in one hour this morning, while 84.5mm fell in the neighboring city of Suzu, also a record for the area.
TV footage showed the streets of Wajima turned into brown rivers with cars half submerged. Rainfall in the area is expected to continue during the next 24 hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency warned. Suzu, Wajima and surrounding areas are still recovering from the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck the area on January 1 this year, killing more than 300 people.