Lack of awareness and delays magnified death toll in Mabi

Wet path: A file picture showing a resident making his way through floodwaters in Mabi. (Inset) Akutagawa talking while cleaning up his house. — Reuters

MABI: When Isao Akutagawa moved to the sleepy riverside town of Mabi in western Japan 45 years ago, it seemed like the perfect suburb to raise his children.

Land was cheap and he could drive to his job in nearby Kurashiki city. As he built his home next to rice paddies 2km from the Odagawa river bank, he heard stories about a flood the year before, but didn’t pay much notice until local politicians began warning residents it could happen again.