Sat 14 August 2021:
Japan has ordered the evacuation of 1.23 million people in four southwestern provinces over the heavy rainfall, media reported on Saturday.
The evacuation was ordered for residents of the prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the NHK broadcaster reported, citing the data of regional authorities.
In the town of Kurume in Fukuoka, TV video showed rescuers towing inhabitants through submerged streets in a lifeboat, while a muddy stream overflowed in neighboring Saga prefecture.
Downpours are forecast for several more days over a large swathe of the country.
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned of more rain to come over the next few days.
“People must take steps to secure their safety,” a JMA official told a news conference.
“There has been almost no movement of the rain front over Japan, and it’s being fed by warm, humid air, which is making it more active.”
Rivers broke their banks in several cities, including Kurume in Fukuoka, and were dangerously close to the tops in others. The Kamo River running through the ancient capital of Kyoto was high but not flooded as of noon Saturday.
Climate change, according to scientists, is increasing the chance of heavy rain in Japan and other parts of the world because a warmer atmosphere contains more water.
“Unprecedented levels of heavy rain have been observed,” Yushi Adachi, a meteorological agency official, told reporters in Tokyo.
“It’s highly likely that some kind of disaster has already occurred,” Adachi said.
“The maximum alert is needed even in areas where risks of landslides and flooding are usually not so high.”
Downpours last month caused a devastating landslide in the central resort town of Atami that killed 23 people, with four still missing.
Photo: Handout Nagasaki Kenou Fire Department/AFP
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