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Twitter user caught in Ibaraki flood tweets photos of his rescuers from inside helicopter

Preston Phro Sep 11, 2015
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Coverage of the heavy rains and typhoon that have swept through Japan this week have dominated much of the news in the country. Today, TV screens were filled with reports on the devastating flooding in Ibaraki Prefecture, where waters burst through the banks and flooded the city of Joso. Images and videos of rescue operations have been widely broadcast on TV, and the news is nothing less than shocking for many.

But one Twitter user saved from the waters by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces wasn’t too scared to tweet photos of his rescue while still inside the helicopter!

Japanese Twitter user @134Sim, who appears to be a high school student, and his family were caught in the flooding that has struck the city of Sojo in Ibaraki Prefecture. Though there had been evacuation warnings, it seems the family waited just a little bit too long to take off and eventually realized they stuck. Fortunately, the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) were out in helicopters rescuing people!

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be rescued by the SDF, you could turn on your TV and catch some footage—or you could just check out @134Sim’s tweets to see what it looks like from a first-person perspective!

▼ “It’s pretty bad in front of my house too.”

https://twitter.com/134Sim/status/641809098703441920

▼ “Right in front of the house. LOLOL”

https://twitter.com/134Sim/status/641825339874766849

And about an hour and a half later, here’s where @134Sim found himself…

▼ “I’m fine! The Self-Defense Forces are working hard to rescue everyone. Don’t worry!”

https://twitter.com/134Sim/status/641846876426231808 https://twitter.com/134Sim/status/641848239348674560

Shortly after his rescue, @134Sim tweeted these two messages:

▼ “Next time a typhoon comes, I’m getting out of here.”

https://twitter.com/134Sim/status/641854990525550592

▼ “Even though I’m doing all this [tweeting], I’m in a panic in a cold sweat.

https://twitter.com/134Sim/status/641855296785227777

Internet commenters had a lot to say about @134Sim and his tweets!

“What amazing time we live in. Rescued people are tweeting pictures from inside the helicopters!”
“I can’t believe he’s like, ‘I’m in a helicopter now!’ He’s truly a smartphone native.”
“He’s being rescued from a flood, but still having fun with life.”
“My house is near a river too, so I’m feeling rather keenly aware of the need to pay attention to flood warnings right now.”
“Thank you for always being there for us, Self-Defense Forces!”
“Is this really the time to be playing with your smartphone?!”

While we can understand why some might be annoyed with the tweets and photos, we’re not about to start condemning this guy. It’s not like there’s much else you can do beside taking photos, so why not document it? If nothing else, we reckon this will make people pay a bit more attention to flood warnings! And, as he explained to other Twitter users, they thought they still had time to evacuate when they realized it was too late.

▼ A TBS News video showing one helicopter rescue and the state of the flooding

We’re just glad he and his family was able to get out safely! We’re wishing for the best for everyone affected by the flooding as well as a speedy recovery for the entire region.

Sources: Jin115, Twitter (@134Sim)
Image: Twitter (@134Sim)