According to The Weather Channel:
- An emergency has unfolded in parts of Japan as Tropical Storm Etau dumped more than a foot of rain on residential areas, triggering flooding and mudslides that pushed tens of thousands from their homes.
- Three people have died and at least 27 people were injured in the massive flooding event. Upwards of 23 people are missing, and more than 6,500 homes have been flooded.
- Nearly 1 million people were advised to evacuate.
- North of Tokyo, more than 20 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour span in Tochigi Prefecture, forcing rare emergency warnings to be issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency. In the city of Joso, a levee was breached early Thursday afternoon, and local residents had to be rescued from their rooftops. As of Friday morning, at least 880 of these residents were still awaiting rescue.
- Flooding and landslides cut off a remote mountainous town in the Fukushima Prefecture from the outside world, leaving more than 800 residents stranded.
- MORE: Latest News on the Japan Floods...
How you can pray...
Pray for Japan following the Tropical Storm Etau which pounded Japan's eastern coastline this past weekend. These are things to remember in prayer:
1. Pray for our partner local churches in all the places Etau has hit. These churches, pastors and church members are consistently serving the disaster area. Asian Access' role is to help empower these local churches to minister effectively to their own communities.
2. Pray for people in Fukushima.
One of the areas Etau hit hard was Fukushima, site of the nuclear reactor damaged in 2011 by the tsunami. Decontamination efforts are continuing and water has been put into sealed containers, so that no more radiation leakage would occur. In spite of the effort, there are about 70,000 people still not been able to go back home. There is still a strong focus on ministering to those people still living in temporary housing. Asian Access is coming along side churches there to continue to minister to those who are desperately need Jesus.
3. Ministry Reminders
- Ministry is about spiritual work. Pray for 99+% of Japan's unreached people. Most likely the Japanese people you see on TV are non-believers who need Jesus Christ.
- Ministry is about people. Disaster strips people of community, dignity and hope. Isolation and hopelessness become core issues. Please focus on praying for people—victims of the storm, tsunami, nuclear problems, etc.
- As God guides you, come and serve with us in Japan. One day, one week, one month, one year... there are opportunities here...
More Information
- Photo courtesy of The Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-etau-japan-flooding-photos
