Victims of Typhoon Hagibis remembered five years after disaster

A ceremony was held in Marumori, Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday to remember victims of flooding and mudslides caused by heavy rain from Typhoon Hagibis five years ago.

“We still have vivid memories even now, five years later,” Kunio Hoshina, the mayor of Marumori, where 11 people died in the disaster, said in a speech at the ceremony that was attended by about 60 people, including four bereaved family members.

He added, “We’ll continue to move forward with the aim of creating a town where people can live safely and securely.”

Tatsuo Yamaki, 63, who lost his mother in the disaster, said after the ceremony, “When I see people who look like my mother in the town, I feel regret.”

“I’m sad that people have died in other disasters as well. We must evacuate swiftly during a disaster,” he said.

At least 90 people were killed in heavy rain across the country after Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in the Izu Peninsula on the night of Oct. 12, 2019, and moved across eastern and northeastern Japan.