THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 29, 2020 at 17:08 JST
Heavy rains led to flooding in at least four locations along the Mogamigawa river that runs through Yamagata Prefecture, damaging dozens of homes.
The land ministry’s Shinjo Office of Rivers and Yamagata Local Meteorological Observatory announced at a little after midnight on July 28 they had confirmed flooding in Oishida town.
By the morning, they confirmed an overflow at four locations in total in the town and Okura village.
Forty-four locations along 41 rivers, excluding the Mogamigawa river, flooded due to the rains, as of 7 a.m. on July 29, according to prefectural authorities.
In Oe town, 29 homes were flooded above or below floor-level, the prefectural government said. A total of 88 homes were damaged in the prefecture.
In the city of Sakata, a woman in her 90s reportedly broke her knee as she fled to safety, officials said.
As of 8:30 a.m., 2,438 people had taken refuge at 180 evacuation centers across 31 municipalities.
Record-breaking rains hit Yamagata on July 28, with the amount of precipitation over a 24-hour period registering at 206.5 millimeters in Nagai, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The level of precipitation broke records at three observation points in the prefecture.
The rains reached their peak on July 28, but it takes time for the rainwater to travel from the upper stream of rivers to the downstream.
Flooding can occur at middle reaches and downstream of rivers after the rain stops.
The Yamagata Local Meteorological Observatory urged residents to stay alert for more flooding throughout the day and the evening.
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A flooded upper stream area along the Mogamigawa river in Oishida town in Yamagata Prefecture on July 29 (Shinnosuke Ito)
