TOKYO, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese government on Tuesday upgraded the status of Typhoon Hagibis, which killed nearly 90 people after tearing through wide swathes of the nation earlier this month, to being both a "severe" and an "extraordinary" disaster.
With many parts of the country, particularly the northeastern Tohoku region and Fukushima Prefecture in particular, still reeling in the wake of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake disaster, the government's updated status means that more financial and other provisions can be allocated to municipalities to better aid reconstruction efforts.
Designating Typhoon Hagibis as a "severe" disaster enables the government to increase subsidies to hard-hit areas and help alleviate the financial burdens of restoration efforts.
Additionally classifying the typhoon as an "extraordinary" disaster means the central government itself can plan and assume the responsibility of carrying out vital reconstruction work itself.
Japan's top government spokesman told a press briefing that plans by the government will be expedited so that people affected by the typhoon, which claimed the lives of 88 people and left tens of thousands of homes inundated, can rebuild their lives.
As the central government is implementing its own reconstruction measures by accessing around 4.5 billion U.S. dollars in reserve funds and drafting a supplementary budget if necessary, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshise Suga said Japan needed to better prepare for natural disasters, and prevent and attenuate the future damage caused by similar disasters on a scale of Typhoon Hagibis.
