Thousands of volunteers began streaming into western Japan on Saturday to spend the three-day weekend helping flood-hit residents clean up their mud-caked homes and neighborhoods.

The governments of hard-hit Ehime, Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures said they expect some 18,000 volunteers to arrive from across the country during the three-day weekend through Monday, and have set up about 40 volunteer centers to receive them, according to the Japan National Council of Social Welfare.

The torrential rain that began around July 6 caused extensive flooding and landslides. The death toll has since surpassed 200 and about 40 people remain missing.