Record-breaking rain fell overnight on Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, with more than 360 millimetres in 24 hours — prompting Japan's weather agency to issue its highest-level heavy rain warning for Chiba for the first time. At least four people have died and one is missing; more than 80 homes were flooded and around 230,000 residents were advised to move to safety. Thousands of travellers were stranded overnight at Narita Airport and at train stations, and tens of thousands of homes lost power as roads and railways went underwater. We pray for the people of Chiba and all who wait for loved ones — and for the rescue teams, rail crews and power workers restoring the region — that every street may soon be dry and every home warm and bright again.