Japan\u2019s record rains strand thousands at Narita airport; kill eight
\nOamishirasato
\nRecord rainfall in Japan stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo\u2019s Narita airport on Friday, bringing floods to the surrounding area that disrupted transport, knocked out power to 20,000 homes and killed eight.
\nDuring one of Japan\u2019s busiest holiday weeks, more than 360 mm (14 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours in parts of the Chiba area adjoining Tokyo, inundating roads and railways, with soldiers sent to help with rescue efforts.
\n\u201cThis case was an extremely unusual situation,\u201d Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai told reporters. \u201cI have responded to many disasters in the past, but I have never experienced a case like this.\u201d
\nThe eight dead included one person trapped in a submerged vehicle, public broadcaster NHK said, citing Chiba authorities and police.
\nAt Narita, airport staff distributed sleeping bags, water and snacks to hundreds of passengers, many of whom had bedded down on Thursday after transport disruptions stranded about 7,000 people, causing widespread chaos.
\n\u201cI queued for a taxi, but the wait was four hours,\u201d said Minoru Yamasaki, a 48-year-old Chiba resident returning from holiday, who had booked a hotel only to be told it could not put him up. With nowhere else to go, he returned to the airport.
\nAn airport spokesperson said most flights were expected to operate normally on Friday.
\nMore than 20,000 homes were without power in the early hours of Friday, after rain flooded a power substation, utility Tokyo Electric Power said, while gas supply to nearly 13,000 was temporarily cut.
\nIn Chiba city, one of the worst-hit spots, hundreds of people spent the night under foil blankets at makeshift evacuation centres in government buildings.
\nSome major highways in Chiba were shut, forcing drivers to take alternative routes that clogged traffic, said highway operator NEXCO East.
\nSeveral rail services were also suspended on Friday, though some services from Narita to Tokyo resumed, easing congestion at the international transport hub.
\nWeather authorities said the 367 mm (14.5 inches) of rain over a 24-hour period in Chiba exceeded the previous record of 309 mm (12.17 inches) set in October 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Japan\u2019s record rains strand thousands at Narita airport; kill eight Oamishirasato Record rainfall in Japan stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo\u2019s Narita airport on Friday, bringing floods to the surrounding area that disrupted transport, knocked out power to 20,000 homes and killed eight. During one of Japan\u2019s busiest holiday weeks, more than 360 mm (14 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":561991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-561978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n