Wed Sep 25 08:04:00 UTC 2024: ## Death Toll Rises to Nine as Search for Missing Continues After Heavy Rains in Noto Peninsula
**Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan** – The death toll from the heavy rains that battered the northern part of the Noto Peninsula over the weekend has risen to nine, with the discovery of a woman’s body in the city of Wajima on Wednesday morning. Two people remain missing, and search and rescue operations are ongoing despite the 72-hour critical window since the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain emergency warning on Saturday.
Six people are still unaccounted for, while 46 communities, primarily in Wajima, are isolated, leaving at least 367 people stranded. Over 600 people are seeking shelter in evacuation centers across the region. The heavy rains have also caused widespread power outages, affecting 2,900 households, and water supply disruptions impacting 5,200 households.
Volunteers are working to clear mud and debris from temporary housing built for those displaced by the January 1st earthquake, which struck the peninsula with a magnitude of 7.6.
Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, has canceled her planned trip to the Noto Peninsula this weekend to inspect reconstruction efforts following the earthquake. The princess was scheduled to visit the town of Shika on Saturday and the city of Nanao on Sunday, but the decision to postpone the visit was made due to the current situation caused by the heavy rain and flooding. This would have been the first time the 22-year-old princess performed official duties outside of Tokyo alone.
First Piper 