Record-breaking rainfall in Japan left thousands of travelers stranded at Tokyo’s Narita airport, causing floods in the surrounding area that disrupted transportation, cut power to 20,000 homes, and resulted in eight fatalities. Parts of Chiba prefecture, adjacent to Tokyo, received over 360 millimeters of rain within 24 hours, leading to road and railway inundations during a peak holiday period in Japan.
Chiba Governor Toshihito Kumagai described the situation as highly unusual, expressing astonishment at the severity of the disaster. Among the casualties was an individual trapped in a submerged vehicle, as reported by Chiba authorities and the police.
At Narita airport, where approximately 7,000 people were stranded due to transport disruptions, staff provided sleeping bags, water, and snacks to the affected passengers. One traveler, 48-year-old Minoru Yamasaki, shared his experience of enduring a four-hour wait for a taxi and being turned away by a fully booked hotel, forcing him to return to the airport for shelter.
Despite the challenges, airport officials anticipated that most flights would resume normal operations on the following day. Meanwhile, the aftermath of the rainfall included power outages affecting over 20,000 homes, gas supply disruptions for nearly 13,000 households, and road closures in Chiba city. Residents sought refuge at government-run evacuation centers, while highway closures and suspended rail services added to the transportation woes.
The deluge in Chiba set a new record, with 367 millimeters of rainfall in 24 hours surpassing the previous high of 309 millimeters in October 2013. The images of flooded areas and stranded individuals captured the severity of the situation, emphasizing the resilience and challenges faced by the affected communities.