The heavy rains in western Japan a month ago, which left more than 230 residents dead or missing in landslides and floods in a broad range of areas, highlighted various challenges faced by the nation's disaster response system. Despite the early warnings of torrential rains that could cause disasters, most of the victims failed to evacuate promptly enough and died in mudflows or drowned after nearby rivers flooded. We should look into what needs to be done to ensure that residents — especially those who are particularly vulnerable in times of disasters such as elderly people who have trouble evacuating on their own — can take timely action for their safety.
Precipitation reached record-breaking levels in many parts of the areas devastated by the torrential rains. A "special" heavy rain warning — announced when disasters on a scale of "once in several decades" are feared — had been issued in a total of 11 prefectures. But these seemingly extreme weather conditions are no longer rare now — and it is predicted that they will take place in greater frequency in the future, due likely to the effects of climate change. The disaster in western Japan should serve as a trigger for the government and citizens alike to review their emergency preparedness and response for future contingencies.
As in many previous cases of extreme weather, the torrential rains in western Japan has highlighted the risk of residents failing to evacuate despite the issuance of timely and accurate information about disastrous weather conditions. A survey taken in the wake of the early July downpours showed that while more than 80 percent of residents in Okayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka prefectures were aware that a special heavy rain warning had been issued, only 3 percent of them took action to evacuate.