Debris Flow in Minamata, Japan<
ASTER VNIR Level 1B

 On 20th July 2003 before dawn, a localized torrential rain in mid-southern part of Kyusyu pulled a trigger of a large scaled debris flow along Atsumari-gawa river in Hougawachi district in Minamata city, Kumamoto prefecture. 10 houses were destroyed instantly and 19 people were either dead or still missing. By the later investigation, it was estimated that the earth and sand slides amounted from 50,000 to 100,000 cubic meters, attesting to the fact that it was the largest debris flow in recent years.

The image left was on 19th March 2001, taken by normal observation before the disaster, and the image right was taken by urgent observation on 24th July 2003, just after the disaster. Even though the weather was not ideal for observation, the scar of the disaster can be glanced in between clouds, coincidentally dispersed at that time.