Evacuation orders were lifted Thursday in most areas of Aichi Prefecture following heavy rain earlier this week that flooded thousands of homes, officials said.

Municipal authorities lifted the order for all 6,600 residents of the town of Nishibiwajima at 7 a.m. Thursday, but about 2,700 were stuck at evacuation centers Thursday night as their homes were still under water, officials said.

About 1,000 residents of parts of Nagoya also decided to remain at evacuation centers, officials said.

An all-night effort to drain the floodwaters Wednesday night was completed Thursday, except in some areas of Obu, in western Aichi.