On July 5, 2017, torrential rains over Kyushu unleashed the equivalent of six months of precipitation in just 24 hours. Thirty-seven people were killed in Fukuoka Prefecture, including two rain-related deaths. Two others remain missing. What happened in those 24 chaotic hours? Our news team studied all 438 calls for assistance made to the Asakura City Fire Department that stormy day. Panicked cries from people desperately seeking help were juxtaposed with the frightening reality that rescue workers were unable to get to them because of the unprecedented heavy rainfall. A thorough examination of the storm and its disastrous aftermath from various perspectives, including a survey of 100 disaster victims, discovered that the city had not followed its own disaster operating procedures. What disaster evacuation measures need to be implemented to prevent tragedies like this from repeating? We provide insights.