Relief Drone Reaches Toyama Pref. Communities Cut Off by Heavy Rain; Access Restored to Isolated Areas in Ishikawa Pref.

On Sunday, a relief drone reached the Himi district in Toyama Prefecture, a region severely impacted by heavy rainfall earlier this week. The drone successfully delivered supplies to 22 people in 16 households in the Tokonabe district, where residents had been stranded due to isolation. Himi city officials reported that municipal employees had already carried emergency rice supplies into the area earlier in the week, as residents shared their limited food resources among themselves.

As of 10 a.m. on Sunday, a total of 616 homes in Himi and Takaoka cities, as well as the town of Tateyama in Toyama Prefecture, had suffered flooding damage, either above or below the floor level. By 5 p.m., relief efforts still left 31 residents in 22 households across three Himi districts isolated.

In Ishikawa Prefecture, a forest road leading to a community in Hodatsushimizu, where 12 people in six households remained cut off, became accessible on Sunday. This marked the end of isolation for all previously isolated communities within the prefecture. Prior to this, 243 households in eight districts across Ishikawa had been cut off from the outside world.

The Himi city government and other officials revealed that the drone made three round trips on Sunday to deliver essential items, including ready-to-eat meals, instant cup noodles, adult diapers for elderly residents, menstrual products, and newspapers. As the situation improves, the city is considering additional drone deliveries to continue providing support to the affected residents.