Flooding worsens in Japan

The Japanese government has dispatched some 5,800 police, firefighters and troops on Friday to rescue dozens of people still trapped after Thursday's disastrous floods. Swollen rivers and landslides left three people dead so far, with over 20 missing in eastern Japan. An additional 100,000 people fled after Japanese officials issued widespread evacuation orders for the area.

"The central government, police, fire officials and military are all working as one," said chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga at a press conference. "We are doing everything in our power to rescue those in need as soon as possible," he added.

The Shibui River overflowed into the city of Osaki on Friday as unrelenting downpours in the wake of Tropical Storm Etau continue to worsen the situation. One day prior, the levees on the Kinugawa River broke, sending a wall of water into the city of Joso, just 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Tokyo.

Heiko Sekimoto, a 62-year-old resident of Joso, spent the night trapped on the second floor of her home with her husband and three cats until rescuers airlifted them out on Friday. "There was no time to escape - all we could do was go upstairs. It was horrifying," recounted Sekimoto, "I kept praying the water wouldn't come upstairs."

Over 3,500 people in the affected area spent the night in make-shift evacuation centers at schools, community centers, and the City Hall.

Japan on high-alert

City evacuation official Akira Motokawa told public broadcaster NHK that rescuers are struggling to keep up with the number of calls for help. Images from NHK on Thursday showed rescuers in helicopters pulling people from utility poles, rooftops, and partially submerged cars.

Japanese officials have been focusing on natural disaster prevention since the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that killed nearly 20,000 people and lead to a nuclear meltdown. By pushing for relentless rescue efforts now, authorities are trying to avoid the same type of criticism they received in 2011 for their slow disaster response.

Additionally, Toyota said it has temporarily shuttered three automotive production plants in the flood-affected zones in the interest of employee safety reasons. A spokesman for the company reported that the factories have not been damaged, so far.

Japan's Meteorological Agency warned of further mudslides, flooding and swollen rivers in eastern and north-eastern Japan due to the continued torrential rains.

rs/jil (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)