At least four people have died in eastern Japan after ‘unprecedented’ heavy rain left nearly 7,000 stranded at Tokyo’s Narita airport and forced thousands to take refuge in government buildings. The torrential rains hit Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Thursday night, triggering landslide warnings and power outages.
Evacuation orders were issued for more than 400,000 people in Chiba and other areas, and about 45,000 homes lost power, as 115mm of rain fell hourly, approximately the same amount usually recorded for the whole month of August. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued the highest level 5 warning for heavy rains and landslides for the prefecture, the first time it has done so.
The body of a man, believed to be in his 60s or 70s, was found floating in a flooded road in Ichikawa City, while a 66-year-old woman was killed when her car got trapped in flood waters in Sakura City. Two other people are reported to have died after being unable to escape from their cars during the flooding. Soldiers have been dispatched to the area to help with relief efforts.
Chiba governor Toshihito Kumagai described the situation as ‘extremely unusual,’ saying he had never experienced a case like this despite responding to many disasters in the past. Approximately 7,000 passengers spent the night at Narita, one of Tokyo’s main international airports, while 1,700 people sought shelter at the Chiba prefectural government building.
Rain had eased by Friday, but authorities are warning of the dangers of flooding in the area. Kazuhito Shimamoto of the ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism urged residents to take action to protect their lives, particularly in areas where the risk of flooding is already high. Meteorologists in Japan say that climate breakdown is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
