14:59 JST, August 16, 2026

Torrential rains beyond imagination caused widespread flooding, and some people even lost their lives in submerged cars. How should we prepare for increasingly severe disasters? It is necessary to reexamine ways to approach urban disaster preparations.

On Thursday night, wide areas of Chiba Prefecture were hit by record-breaking torrential rains. In Chuo Ward, Chiba City, the 24-hour rainfall total through Friday morning reached a record 367 millimeters, exceeding three times the average rainfall for the entire month of August for the ward.

For the first time since a new disaster and weather information system began operations in May, a “Level 5 Emergency Warning” — the highest level of danger — for heavy rains was issued.

Many........

© The Japan News