Heavy rains pummel Japan

A Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter rescues a resident in a flooded area in Joso, Japan, on Sept. 10.

(Jiji Press / AFP/Getty Images)

Sept. 10, 2015 7:43 AM PT

Raging floodwaters broke through a berm Thursday and swamped a city near Tokyo, washing away houses, forcing dozens of people to rooftops to await helicopter rescues and leaving one man clinging for his life to a utility pole.

Floodwaters from the Kinugawa River flow into a residential area in Joso, Japan, on Sept. 10.

(Jiji Press / AFP/Getty Images)

A hotel building falls into floodwaters at the Nikko mountain resort north of Tokyo on Sept. 10.

(Jiji Press / AFP/Getty Images)

A helicopter crew rescues residents from a flooded home in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, on Sept. 10.

(Jiji Press / AFP/Getty Images)

Rescue workers use a rubber boat to transport evacuees through floodwaters north of Tokyo on Sept. 10.

(Yoshikazu Tsuno / AFP/Getty Images)