Rescue workers and reconnaissance teams combed the west coast of Japan Monday after the worst typhoon in seven years hit the island nation, killing 26 people.
    
Floodwaters, landslides, and collapsed bridges have left another 3,600 people stranded.

The storm couldn't have come at a worse time as Japan's residents are still struggling to recover from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the nation.

"We will do everything we can to rescue people and search for the missing," Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told reporters Sunday.  

Typhoon Talas hit Wakayama and Nara prefectures the hardest, dumping more than 650 millimeters in some places. 

Although the storm has now moved off shore, evacuation advisories remained in place for about 100,000 people
    
Heavy rains and strong winds are expected to continue because of the storm's slow speed.