Recent torrential rains took the lives of 17 people in Yamaguchi Prefecture and 22 others in Hyogo, Okayama and Tokushima prefectures. This highlights the importance of municipal actions in securing the safety of local residents during heavy rain.
After more than 200 people died or went missing across the nation in typhoons and torrential rains in 2004, the central government worked out a guideline for judging when to issue warnings or evacuation orders and for manuals on how to disseminate the information. It then handed the guideline to the nation's municipalities.
Many municipalities do not have the manuals yet. They should obtain them as soon as possible. They should also examine local topography and tell residents in advance where to evacuate and what they should be careful of when evacuating in torrential rains.