Amid Japan’s Flood Devastation, Survivors Dig Out

More than a hundred died in Japan and the Rohingya have been squeezed by all sides after the initial ethnic cleansing in their native Myanmar. But so long as the 12 boys and their coach are saved, the world can wash away its guilty conscience! This is not to say we should try to save these kids and their coach, but you don't see Elon Musk sending aides to war torn Syria to help the victims getting killed by terrorists and governments' troops alike. But why risk it when you can't make a name for yourself, right. Leave the dirty jobs like helping the flood and earthquake victims to the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders instead!

Global warming. More to come soon.

Unprecedented natural disaster have frequently occurred in Japan since 2011. But,Japanese government did not consider worst case, They had enjoyed gorgeous dinner at Akasaka.

The US has a major military base located very close to the most damaged areas and yet not help offered. Completely different to the massive aid offered during 3/11. Completely fail by Ambassador Hagerty.

First I fell in love with the grace of Japanese brushstroke calligraphy. Then I fell in love with the rough, volcanic beauty of Japanese traditional teabowls and ceramics. Then I fell in love with the Shinto Buddhist values of wabi, sabi and shibui. Then I fell in love with Japanese textiles, the delicate silks and indigo cotton kasuris and katazomes, the recycled threads of sakioris. Then I fell in love with Japanese traditional homes, of a simplicity that inspired Frank Lloyd Wright's modernism. Then I fell in love with classic Japanese films.....driving 12 miles to the County library branch that had an Asian Room to rent every one that they had. As an artist I believe there is no match for Japanese aesthetics, largely because of the grace of the mentality behind them. Do westerners know there is even a Shinto festival for the respectful retirement of old, worn sewing needles? Such wonderful people! Please don't give up, Japan! Dry out your treasures, clean them, piece them together as kintsugi or boros, whatever......but the wonders you have created tell the story of your unique aesthetic heritage, incomparable in this world. Konotabiha goshushosamadegozoimasu. Japan, my heart is with you!

The Japanese will put on a display of “Shoga nai”, translated as “what can I do about it anyway?” Calm acceptance, no caterwauling.

I saw video of the explosion. It was dramatic and massive. I would have thought that after the Fukushima Daiichi plants exploded back in 2011 Japan would have ferreted out the possibilities of massive industrial explosions, and eliminated them.

Dear New York Times - I'd like to suggest that any articles discussing extreme weather events and consequences include the precipitation data causing the event and a discussion of what the historical normal is for that time and place, and whether the number of extreme events occurring in that region are increasing over time compared to the normal. Such a policy would help educate readers about weather and climate data and how historic norms are changing. So, what was the rainfall rate and duration that caused the flooding in Japan, and how long has it been since an event of this magnitude occurred?

CNN reported that some areas in Japan received from 7 inches to 10 inches of water in a two hour period, more than they would normally receive in a month. The scientists who study global warming have predicted that storms will become more intense and slower moving, resulting in more severe flooding events. My home near Houston received 36 inches of rains spread over three days during Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey. That storm, and the one that just struck much of Japan, are harbingers of the future.

The Japanese are resourceful and resilient.

The tragic loss of life in Japan is heart-breaking. We know that the nation has taken heroic measures to minimize earthquake damage. They have the brains, courage and grit to face the awesome power of natural disaster and wrestle it to the ground. They surpass the rest of the world by far in design & construction of tremblor resistant buildings and bridges. Yet the rains that fell overwhelmed their dikes and defenses. This should give pause to anyone at all working to protect the safety of their nation's people. 'And the waters prevailed' is (possibly) the title of a young adult book of my childhood. The atmosphere, the "great aerial ocean" of A.R.Wallace, is holding more moisture, and dumping it more furiously around the globe as the earth overheats. Do I have confidence that my government is able and willing to assess and mitigate the growing dangers of global warming? I do not. The current 'POTUS' could not use the word mitigate in a coherent sentence if his life depended on it.

It would be helpful to get reporting on the amount of rain that fell and in what timespan. Japan is a well organized well funded country. I shudder to think of rain events like this happening in our own backyard here in USA

My heart goes out to the Japanese people, who seem to have more than their share of Mother Nature's wrath. Yet, they are a peaceful, loving, Socially Conscious group. The article says, "Officials from the plant (which exploded) were visiting neighbors Monday to apologize, said Takashi Nakano, a spokesman for Asahi Seiren Co., the parent company of the aluminum plant." They apologized. Imagine. Try to imagine that happening in OUR United States. Remember when the fertilizer stored in a barn in Texas exploded and literally destroyed a town? No apology. Just excuses. Remember Hurricane Katrina when thousands of people were stranded in the supposed "safe" place of the athletic arena? Does anyone remember any top officials apologizing to the millions of people who lives were destroyed? No. Like all good Robber Baron bullies they found excuses to blame someone else. And boss George Bush, Jr. even praised "Brownie" for a great job. OUR United States must elect Socially Conscious Women and men who will restore/preserve civility, honor and social/economic justice for all Americans. I want OUR country to behave more in the Japanese model than the Genghis Khan model we have now. Good People of Japan, demand that your elected leaders stop using your hard-earned taxpayer dollars to ramp up military spending. Demand that they use it to build sea walls, close down nuclear and other plants that endanger your lives and build a stronger, united Japan. NOW. Please.

We were in this beautiful region of Japan a month ago, with many important shrines. Such gentle, gracious, fastidiously clean people. They are in our thoughts as they deal with yet another tragedy caused by the power of water.

I am so worried about my friends in Japan. It has been weather, weather, for years that have raised havoc for them. My heart bleeds.

Prayers for the people of Japan! We visited Japan a few times over the last five years for hiking and mountain climbing, it's a shame to see the devastation.

For anyone willing to donate , Rakuten, the Japanese equivalent of Amazon, has setup an online donation fund for disaster relief in Western Japan. Their website is https://global.rakuten.com/corp/donation/nishinihon201807_en/nishinihon2... So far over $1.5 million have poured in, so people are responding. I'm sure the Japanese people in these stricken areas appreciate any help they can get. The government response good, but a disaster of this proportion is difficult to comprehend. Nishinihon Ganbatte ! (Western Japan, work hard and persevere!)

No place is really safe as the atmosphere juices up in response to higher temperatures. Where it doesn't juice up it dries out and you have the fires. Hang on folks; we are in for a long bumpy ride.

Officials from the plant were visiting neighbors Monday to apologize, *********** It's not so much that this is difficult for me to imagine, but it really gives meaning to the idea of a 'foreign concept.' West, Texas, and the Deepwater Horizon come to mind. Japanese healing will not be easy, but these apologies at least put everyone on the same side.

Tragedy for the people of Japan and the World.

Such a beautiful country to place ceremonial order, the dolls and the father's tablet, before the common work of taking care of this disaster.

112 people die in Japan - and we have one news article. 11 boys & a soccer coach trapped in a cave - round the clock coverage.

As the world watches the rescue of 13 young men from a cave in Thailand, please also think of this loss and sorrow in Japan. So many people lost to torrential rains. My thoughts are with the lovely Japanese people who endure so much. Anata no sonshitsu ni wa mōshiwake arimasen. I am sorry for your losses.

i think its bad because rain make the flooding and people die and so mush people diet