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On October 26, 2019, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 13th meeting of the Emergency Response Headquarters for Typhoon No. 19* of 2019 at the Prime Minister’s Office.
 
Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
“Yesterday, in just half a day, a month’s worth of rain fell in parts of Chiba Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture. This was record-breaking heavy rain for this time of year.
 
There are those who have lost their lives due to the recent heavy rain, or whose safety or whereabouts are unknown. In addition, the rain caused tremendous damage that impacted the lives of the people, including flooding of rivers and landslides, road flooding, and house flooding.
 
I express my condolences for the people who have lost their lives, and extend my heartfelt sympathies to everyone who has been affected by this disaster.
 
Yesterday, the Governor of Chiba Prefecture requested the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) for disaster relief, and currently the police, firefighters, the Japan Coast Guard and SDF units are conducting rescue and relief activities with dedication at disaster-affected sites, upholding the principle of putting people’s lives first. Other units are ready for rapid deployment over wider areas.
 
I ask everyone to continue swiftly identifying the state of the damage in each area, and to not only exert every effort in rescue and relief activities, but also work swiftly to restore lifelines and support the daily lives of those affected by the disaster, closely collaborating with the local governments and relevant organizations in the affected areas.
 
In the areas affected by Typhoon No. 15** and Typhoon No. 19,* those who have been affected by the disasters are spending nights with anxiety and feeling exhausted due to the heavy rains before finishing cleaning up from the previous disaster and consecutive emergency evacuations. I want everyone to continue to think about the difficult circumstances faced by the people affected by the disaster, and make every effort towards the reconstruction of lives and ‘nariwai’ (occupations and livelihoods that sustain people’s daily lives).
 
We have passed the peak of heavy rains, but the rain that has fallen so far has raised the river levels and the soil may have loosened in some places.
 
I ask the people to never let down their guard and to continue to pay attention to the information issued by the local governments, and to stay vigilant to secondary disasters such as landslides, taking care of their health, as the early mornings in the areas affected by Typhoon No. 19* will soon grow cold.”
 
*Typhoon Hagibis
**Typhoon Faxai