According to Xinhua news agency, heavy rain poured down on Chiba Prefecture, Japan from August 13 and lasted until the morning of August 14 (local time), killing 4 people, 1 missing and many areas seriously affected.
According to the Chiba Prefectural government, in addition to 4 deaths and 1 missing person, 1 person is in cardiac arrest and 4 others are slightly injured.
Heavy rain also caused widespread power outages. Tokyo Electric Power Company said that about 25,270 households in Chiba were without power at 7:30 am on August 14.
Japan lowers emergency alert after record rain
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) on the morning of August 14 lowered the level 5 emergency warning, the highest level in the country's natural disaster warning system, in some areas of Chiba to level 4 or lower.
The decision was made after Chiba prefecture recorded record rainfall. However, the meteorological agency still warned people not to be subjective about the risk of continued natural disasters.
Prolonged heavy rain can cause soil and rocks to become unstable, especially in hilly areas. People are also required to be wary of landslides, floods in low-lying areas and rising river water levels.
More than 400,000 people have been asked to evacuate
According to the Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency, at the time of the heaviest rain, the government issued evacuation orders for more than 400,000 people in Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures.
By 7 am on August 14, the evacuation order was still valid for about 126,000 people in the two provinces.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation and call on people to comply with evacuation instructions, especially in areas at risk of flooding or landslides.
Heavy rain also affected infrastructure and people's lives, with tens of thousands of households in Chiba losing power.
Japanese authorities are continuing to assess damage and maintain warnings in areas at risk of landslides, flash floods and rising river levels.
