Akita Koyoshi River floods, emergency safety assured for 450 households - special warning announced, Japan Meteorological Agency, etc.

At 7:45 p.m. on the 21st, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced a Level 5 flood warning for the Koyoshi River, which flows through Yurihonjo City, Akita Prefecture. Overflowing water was confirmed in some areas, and the city issued an "emergency safety order" to about 450 households and about 1,200 people, calling on them to immediately ensure their safety.

On the same day, a low pressure system accompanied by a front moved northward from the Sea of ​​Japan coast of Hokuriku and Tohoku to Hokkaido, and rain continued to fall in Akita Prefecture. Strict vigilance is needed against heavy rain and river flooding. In Sasago, Yurihonjo City, 129.0 mm of rain fell in the 24 hours ending at 8:40 p.m. on the 21st, setting a new record for the heaviest amount observed in October at this location.

Kenichi Takahashi, director of the Japan Meteorological Agency's Weather Monitoring and Warning Center, explained at a press conference that the cause of the flooding was about 250 millimeters of rain (according to radar analysis) that fell in 24 hours near the prefectural border with Yamagata Prefecture, upstream of the Koyoshi River.

Yayoi Funahashi, head of the River Environment Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, urged people to be careful not to drive into areas that are at risk of flooding.

On the same night, the city established a disaster response headquarters and opened two evacuation centers. According to the city's Emergency Management Division, 15 people from five households had been evacuated as of 9:30 p.m.