Support Still Needed 2 Years Since Mass Flooding
Monday marks two years since torrential rains devastated large parts of western Japan. As of Wednesday last week, a total of 305 people have died or remain missing in 14 prefectures due to the disaster.
An NHK survey shows that 222 out of the total 296 deaths were directly caused by the disaster, such as landslides and flooding. The other 74 people died later from causes related to the disaster, such as health problems. The figure is up 22 from a year earlier.
Hiroshima Prefecture had 149 deaths, of which 40 were due to causes related to the disaster.
Okayama Prefecture had 89 deaths, of which 28 were due to causes related to the disaster.
There were 33 deaths in Ehime Prefecture, of which 6 were due to causes related to the disaster.
There are currently 4,300 people from 1,885 households across nine prefectures who remain in shelters or temporary housing.
Among them, 3,058 come from 1,310 households in Okayama Prefecture; 589 from 257 households in Hiroshima Prefecture; and 562 from 268 households in Ehime Prefecture.
Some people say they feel isolated or that their health has deteriorated due to their living conditions.
