Climate change makes every natural disaster worse. In the small tourist city of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, a landslide roared down a steep mountain valley after heavy rain. At least two people were swept out to sea with twenty missing.
From The Guardian:
A video posted on TikTok from the scene showed a huge slurry of mud and debris sliding slowly down a steep road and nearly engulfing a white car, which drove away before a faster and more devastating torrent arrived.
The prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, will meet ministers later on Saturday to discuss the disaster and other rain-related damage, Japanese media reported.
Much of Japan is currently in its annual rainy season, which lasts several weeks and often causes floods and landslides, prompting local authorities to issue evacuation orders.
Experts say climate change is intensifying the phenomenon because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, resulting in more intense rainfall.
More than 200 people died as devastating floods inundated western Japan in 2018, and last year dozens more were killed as the coronavirus pandemic complicated relief efforts.