The city of Nagoya paralyzed. Alarm for the Asian Games
Evacuation orders for over one million and 300 thousand families, equal to 2.65 million people, have been issued in the prefectures of Aichi, Mie and Gifu after the record torrential rains that have fallen since the beginning of the week in the Tokai region, in central Japan. This was reported by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, which describes how numerous areas of Nagoya have been flooded and public transport suspended, with the main stations invaded by stranded commuters. In the center of Nagoya the streets were flooded with water, with levels reaching knee height in the commercial area of the Naka district, while flooding was confirmed in 43 homes in the prefecture. At least 200 vehicles were stranded after being completely submerged; the municipality moved them to the side of the road to allow emergency vehicles to pass.
Central Japan Railway, Nagoya Railroad and the city subway have suspended services, leaving many workers unable to return. The municipality has set up 17 temporary shelters, capable of hosting up to 1,430 people.
The emergency reignites doubts about the staging of the Asian Games scheduled in Japan, with Nagoya and Tokai at the center of the organization. The critical issues concern the maintenance of the transport infrastructure – subway, railways and urban roads, on which the movements of around 11 thousand athletes from 45 countries and regions are based, and the public, the reception capacity in the event of extreme climatic events and the management of the shelters. The mayor of Nagoya, Ichiro Hirosawa, has for the moment called for calm, ruling out repercussions on the Games, scheduled from 19 September to 4 October.
