# Violent Japanese Rainstorms Caused Mammoth Devastation

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/02/violent-japanese-rainstorms-caused-mammoth-devastation/
- Published: 2019-02-04T22:50:19-05:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

First off and during in late June to mid-July 2018 had successive [heavy downpours](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudburst)
in southwestern [Japan.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan) In addition, these
downpours resulted in widespread, devastating [floods](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood)
and [mudflows](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudflow). The event is officially
being called 平成 30 年７月豪雨.

As well, another term is a guerrilla rainstorm or (ゲリラ豪雨 _gerira gō’u_) a Japanese
expression. All used to describe a short, localized [downpours](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain).

Therefore that’s of over 100mm of rain per hour. In addition and all caused by the
unpredictable formation of [cumulonimbus cloud](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulonimbus_cloud).
The term is often used by the Japanese media in reporting such events, but does 
not have an official meaning nor is it used by the [Japan Meteorological Agency](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Meteorological_Agency).

![Koji sunomori](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/
0EDFDEC6-276B-41D4-86E3-9C710D6193A0.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&quality=52&ssl=1 "0EDFDEC6-
276B-41D4-86E3-9C710D6193A0 - The Green Living Guy")

Koji Sunomori

Therefore the heavy rain in July 2018, Heisei 30 by the [Japan Meteorological Agency](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Meteorological_Agency).
So as July 13, 209 died from this rain. More importantly over 8 million people were
advised or urged to evacuate. About  54,000 members of the [Japan Self-Defense Forces](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Self-Defense_Forces),
[police](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police) and [firefighters](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighter)
were searching for the people trapped or injured in landslides and flooding. More
noteworthy, all triggered by the heavy rain. This is while the Japanese government
has set up a liaison unit at the crisis management center. A center of the Prime
Minister’s Office to gather all the information.

## 󠀁[CNN](https://web.archive.org/web/20181112225618/https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/13/asia/japan-floods-intl/index.html)󠁿 reported:

Worst part, Koji Sunomori couldn’t see the boy’s face. Although he knew the lifeless
body belonged to his 2-year-old stepson, Kenta. As well as he was wearing his favorite
baseball shirt.

Furthermore, Sunomori found him among the rubble. Rubble of what was supposed to
be his new home. The 54-year-old had just married his wife, Nana, last month, and
was planning to move in with her and her two children from a previous marriage in
the coming days.

CNN further reported:

Experts say the floods inflicted so much damage — and so many deaths — because a
unique set of weather conditions led to a massive amount of rain pummeling an area
not prepared for it.

The rain hit a mountainous region, which meant the water picked up speed as it flowed
down. The areas hit by those waters were, like much of rural Japan, home to an elderly
population who cannot evacuate easily.

“When it’s a sudden onset event, you don’t have time for people to get out of the
way,” said Doug Bausch, a science adviser at the Pacific Disaster Center, an consultancy
that works in disaster risk management.

![This aerial image shows the destroyed iron bridge of JR Geibi Line due to torrential
rains in Hiroshima.](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/180713112149-
02-japan-flooding-20180713-medium-plus-169.jpg?w=780&quality=52&ssl=1)

This aerial image shows the destroyed iron bridge of JR Geibi Line due to torrential
rains in Hiroshima.

Further info on [CNN](https://web.archive.org/web/20181112225618/https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/13/asia/japan-floods-intl/index.html)

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 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
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