TOKYO - Japan's weather agency issued a special heavy rain warning on Thursday for some areas in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures in central Japan, with roads flooded, a river in danger of overflowing and residents warned to evacuate or take immediate steps to ensure their safety amid life-threatening conditions.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 warning, the highest warning for heavy rain, indicating that a disaster has likely occurred or is imminent, for municipalities including Himi in Toyama Prefecture and Hakui, Shika, Hodatsushimizu, and Nakanoto in Ishikawa Prefecture.
The residents were urged to heed local authorities' evacuation advisories and remain vigilant against landslides. Around 180,000 people in five municipalities in the two prefectures were urged to take the safety measures.
With a high possibility that Oyabe River was flooded, residents had been urged to evacuate.
Over a 24-hour period through 6 a.m. Friday, the agency is expecting up to 180 millimeters of rain in the Hokuriku region on the Sea of Japan coast, up to 150 mm for the Kanto-Koshin and Tokai regions.
Heavy rain has also hit Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Authorities have issued a Level 4 landslide warning for Itoigawa, cautioning residents in areas under alert to find safety in case of a possible landslide.
Earlier this month, a Level 5 warning was issued in some municipalities in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, due to heavy rain, which resulted in flooding, leaving 13 people dead. Cars on roads across the prefecture were subsequently immobilized by the flood, with around 2,500 vehicles abandoned at one point.
