Six months since Western Japan floods: lessons from Mabi

This report summarizes the key findings of research done through a literature survey and field visits to Mabi between November 2018 and January 2019, after CWS Japan responded to a flood event in the town. It aims to study and understand important lessons from this flood disaster, focusing on the ten most important issues.

The Western region of Japan saw successive heavy rainfalls from the end of June to mid July of 2018, causing devastating floods in many areas including Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime. One of the most severely affected areas was a small town called Mabi in Okayama prefecture. The town stands on two rivers called Takahashi and Oda, both of which overflowed and flooded almost one-third of the area of the town. The embankments broke down at 8 places and the floodwater rose as high as 5 metres in many areas. About 4600 houses were affected and 51 people killed, most of whom were above 70 years of age.