Level 5 Heavy Rain Warnings Issued for 3 Cities in Fukui Pref.

Tokyo, Aug. 30 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Meteorological Agency issued Level 5 emergency rain warnings for the cities of Fukui, Ono and Katsuyama in the central Japan prefecture of Fukui at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, warning of an extreme risk of landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and river overflows.

Level 5 is the highest on the agency's disaster alert scale. The three cities urged residents to take immediate action to protect their lives.

The prefecture's Reihoku region, which includes the three cities, experienced intermittent torrential rainfall due to the influence of a weather front.

The Fukui prefectural government established a disaster response headquarters on Sunday. Multiple rivers overflowed and authorities confirmed flooding above floor level in one residence and below floor level in four residences in Ono and Katsuyama. A landslide was also reported in the city of Fukui. However, as of 8 a.m., no casualties or injuries had been confirmed.

According to the prefectural police, as of 6 a.m., they had received 25 reports concerning stranded vehicles, flooded roads and related incidents.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]