Weather Officials Urge People In Yamagata Pref. To Ensure Safety From Heavy Rain
Japanese weather officials are urging people in the northeastern prefecture of Yamagata to immediately ensure their safety from the torrential rain.
Kurora Ryuta of the Japan Meteorological Agency spoke at a news conference after the agency issued an emergency heavy rain warning for some parts of the prefecture on Wednesday.
Kurora said the areas where the emergency warning is in place have been receiving unprecedented amounts of rain.
He said rain-related disasters may already have occurred particularly in communities where mudslides or floods had been predicted.
Kurora said that if people cannot evacuate to designated shelters, they should try to ensure their safety by staying in buildings away from cliffs or locations situated high enough not to be flooded.
The official said people should exercise the utmost caution even if they are in areas where rain-related disasters are not expected to happen in usual circumstances.
He said the agency may expand the emergency warning to cover other municipalities and that it would be too late for people to evacuate after such an expansion is declared.
Kurora said people should ensure their safety in line with information from their municipalities.