HELICOPTERS, boats and thousands of troops were deployed across Japan to rescue people stranded in flooded homes as the death toll from a ferocious typhoon climbed to at least 19 with more than a dozen missing.
Public broadcaster NHK said 14 rivers across the nation had flooded, some spilling out in more than one spot.
The casualty toll was compiled by Kyodo News service and was higher than one given by the government spokesman earlier yesterday, a day after Typhoon Hagibis made landfall south of Tokyo and battered central and northern Japan with torrents of rain and powerful gusts of wind.
A stretch of Fukushima, in the city of Date, was also flooded with only rooftops of residential homes visible in some areas, and rescuers paddled in boats to get people out.
READ MORE: Scotland out of World Cup as Japan celebrate 28-21 win in Yokohama
MEANWHILE, the wildfire in the San Fernando Valley on the edge of Los Angeles is now 33% contained, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The blaze covers 12 square miles and has forced tens of thousands of people to abandon their homes since erupting late on Thursday.
The department said that winds and temperatures have fallen to normal levels after the Santa Ana winds passed through the region.
But the department added that a man went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene of the blaze.
Helicopters and planes are making repeated drops of water and fire retardant as about 1000 firefighters attack the flames.
ELSEWHERE, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has worn an armoured vest and appeared with a heavy security detail at an election rally.
Officials would not reveal the nature of the threat.
It resulted in a 90-minute delay before Trudeau appeared in front of about 2000 supporters who had turned out as the election campaign before the October 21 vote.
Trudeau wore a suit jacket rather than his usual rolled-up sleeves and loosened tie, and was wearing a vest, which was noticeable in photos taken at the event.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Stephanie Dumoulin said they do not comment on security measures given to the prime minister.
FINALLY, Poles are voting in a parliamentary election that the ruling nationalist Law and Justice party is tipped to win.
Law and Justice is the first party since the fall of communism to break with the austerity of previous governments. However, many Poles were left out in that transformation and inequalities grew.
Critics fear Poland's illiberal turn could become irreversible if the party wins another four-year term.
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