100,000 evacuated: Houses violently swept away in raging floodwaters, Japan

A major river has flooded in the eastern Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki, sweeping away homes and stranding many people. Heavy rain broke a levee of the Kinugawa river in the city of Joso on Thursday. Muddy waters were still gushing into residential areas at 4 PM. Footage taken from an NHK helicopter shows that the flood washed away or tilted many houses. Trapped residents were seen calling for help. At least two people are missing, scores are stranded in flooded homes and some 100,000 evacuated across a wide swathe of Japan today (September 10) after torrential rains saw rivers bursting their banks. Record-breaking rain has prompted authorities to issue “rare weather warnings” for 5 million people in eastern Japan, after Tropical Storm Etau cut across the main island of Honshu yesterday.