Procedures in the Event of a Natural Disaster

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Asher Walsh
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1 Procedures in the Event of a Natural Disaster For your safety, please be sure to check with your neighbors and the chief of the ward in which you live about the appropriate procedures for different natural disasters, as well as the locations of evacuation areas. In the case of storm related disasters such as severe rain, typhoons, floods, tornadoes, and landslides, please act in the following manner: 1. How to prepare for storm related disasters (typhoons and severe rain): (1) In Nobeoka City, severe rain becomes common in June. From July through October many typhoons also occur. During this time damage from these storms is expected. (2) Please stay up to date with weather reports via the internet and radio. (3) Be sure to attend the disaster prevention drills that are held in your area and familiarize yourself with the route to the respective disaster shelters. (4) Be sure to familiarize yourself with the various methods through which Nobeoka City releases information about evacuation procedures. (5) Please clean your gutters and drains regularly to prevent them from backing up. (6) If you judge that going to the nearest evacuation shelter is dangerous, take shelter on the highest floor of the building. If that is not possible, find a safe place to shelter yourself within the building. Type of Alert When it is Released What You Should Do Information About Preparations for Evacuation Evacuation Call This information will be released when the chances that a disaster will occur are high and people for whom it will take time to evacuate need to start evacuation procedures. An evacuation call will be given when a disaster is imminent. If you are elderly or require assistance to move, please begin evacuation. If you are capable of evacuating normally, please begin preparing to evacuate. Those that are capable of evacuating normally should begin evacuating. Directions for Evacuation Procedures Directions for evacuation will be given when an imminent disaster is expected to be extremely dangerous. If you are in the middle of evacuating, complete evacuation as quickly as possible. If you have not yet begun evacuation, begin evacuating immediately.

2 2. What to do in the event that a typhoon is coming: (1) Be sure to bring inside things that might get blown away by the wind like potted plants, planters, and things that are hung out to dry. (2) Tape up glass windows that don t have storm windows installed. Shut the curtains to protect them from strong gusts of wind and flying objects so that, in the event that they break, the glass does not shatter inside. (3) To prepare for the possibility that water supplies are cut, store drinking water and water for other purposes, and fill the bathtub with water. (4) Confirm evacuation routes and locations with your family. (5) In the event that you evacuate, be sure to shut off the gas and fuse box. (6) If you feel unsafe, evacuate even before an Evacuation Call is released. 3. Precautions for Storm Surges (1) Be aware of the flood points along the coasts. Due to the influence of strong low pressure systems and typhoons, water levels may rise suddenly. Of particular concern is when strong winds are blowing during high tide. Do not approach the coast in these conditions. 4. Precautions for Tornadoes (1) Tornadoes occur when air currents rise violently to form a vortex of violent wind, and they often appear when typhoons pass by or when cold fronts approach. (2) Meteorological observatories will release tornado warnings when conditions are such that tornadoes are likely to occur. When a tornado warning is released, please be sure to do the following until the warning is lifted: 1 If you are outside, seek shelter in a sturdy building. 2 If you are inside, move away from any windows to the center of the building and move to the lowest floor of the building. 5. What to do in severe rain conditions (1) Do not approach any areas that may flood, like small rivers and waterways. (2) If your home is near a river, it may flood, so please begin preparations to seek shelter. (3) In the mountains (particularly in places where the mountain has been cut away to make space for homes or factories, places in which water may flood from a river in the mountain into flat areas, or places next to cliffs or where there are sharp slopes) keep an eye out for the warning signs of a land slide:

3 Land Slide Type of Land Slide (When a cliff crumbles) Warning Signs Small rocks come tumbling down in large groups. Water spurts out of the ground. Cracks become visible in the side of cliffs. Mud Slide (When the earth on the surface of a slope comes flowing down) Avalanche (When earth, large stones, and boulders come tumbling down the slopes of mountains) Streams and wells become muddy. Cracks appear in the surface of the ground. Water comes spurting out of slopes. The trees in the mountains lean over. A large rumbling sound comes from the mountain. Driftwood is visible in the rivers and the rivers become muddy. The river s water level drops despite the fact that it is raining heavily. (There is a chance that the water uphill has been blocked by a land slide) 6. Things to do when you are engaging in outdoor activities (1) Absolutely do not camp at a river sandbar (a piece of land in the middle of a river). (2) When there is a chance that water levels may rise due to rainfall, do not camp next to a river. (3) Pay close attention to information about rising water levels due to rain and dams (as well as sirens warning of water being released from a nearby dam). (4) Follow directions given by the locals and firemen who are familiar with the area. (5) Be disciplined enough to leave even if you went through a lot of trouble to get wherever you are. Earthquakes and Tsunamis 1. Everyday precautions: (1) Be sure to attend the disaster prevention drills that are held in your area, and familiarize yourself with the route to your respective disaster shelters. (2) Talk over what you will do with your family if a disaster occurs (which disaster shelter you will go to), and confirm how you will communicate about one another s safety if you get separated. (3) Since you may not necessarily be at home when an earthquake and/or tsunami occurs, gather information about areas you visit often (like work or school) using resources like the Nobeoka City Tsunami Hazard Map, and develop the habit of planning a course of action in your imagination in the event that one occurs. Be certain that you are fully aware of which evacuation area you will go to, as well as how to get to it.

4 (4) Make an emergency kit with the things you may need in the event of a disaster. Things to put in your emergency kit: 3 days worth of emergency food (dry bread, canned goods, other foods that can be stored for a long period of time, and water) A portable radio A flashlight Batteries Writing utensils Clean wipes Medicine(Any medications you are currently taking, cold medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, antiseptics, band aids, bandages, gauze, etc.) If there are nursing babies or young children in the family, paper diapers, powdered milk and other necessary supplies should be included. (5) Do not put things on top of furniture. Secure furniture so that it does not fall over, and put shatter resistant film on your dish cabinet glass and windows so that it does not shatter. Ensure that your living space is safe. (6) Earthquakes do not necessarily occur in the middle of the day. Also, at times power outages accompany earthquakes. Therefore, keep a flashlight next to your pillow and keep running shoes easily accessible. (7) How to fortify your home for an earthquake: It is important to have your home inspected by a professional for its earthquake resistance and have the necessary improvements made, if any. In Nobeoka, there is an initiative to help pay for earthquake resistance inspections and improvements (for those who have had inspections) for those living in homes made primarily of wood. 2. What to do in the event of an earthquake (if you are at home) Passage of Time What to do Earthquake Begins The First 1-2 Minutes Earthquake! Stay calm, cover your head with something soft, and hide under a sturdy table. It stopped shaking! Confirm that gas lines, fuse boxes, or things that could start a fire, are secure and off. Make sure your family is safe. Check to see if there are tsunami warnings. Put on some shoes. Even if you are inside your home, there could be dangerous things on the ground like broken glass.

5 The 3 rd Minute Confirm that everyone is safe! Check with your neighbors to see if anyone is hurt. If a fire has started, try to put it out in its early stages, and contact the fire department. In the case that a tsunami warning has been released, grab your emergency kit, notify your neighbors, and begin evacuating to the Designated Emergency Evacuation Center immediately. The 5 th Minute Confirm you have the most up to date and correct information. Using the radio, the Radio Communication for Disaster Prevention and Administration System, and damage report mail, confirm you have accurate information about the situation. Don t be misled by rumors. Don t run away in a car. If you use a narrow road, be careful and aware of collapsing and/or collapsed brick walls and other potential dangers. If you evacuate, do not forget your emergency kit. If you evacuate, be sure to turn off your fuse box and gas lines. 10 Minutes to Cooperate with everyone to extract trapped survivors and secure Several Hours the safety of others. Do not return to your home if it might be damaged. 3 rd Day Cover your food and water needs with the supplies you had stored before the disaster. Do not bother others. Stay up to date with disaster information using a portable radio. At disaster shelters, everyone is in the same situation together, so everyone should help one another out. There will be many inconveniences and unforeseen circumstances, but being strong and enduring is important. Things written in red font are what should be done in the case of a tsunami. 3. About emergency earthquake announcements Emergency earthquake announcements are announcements made to inform you of the earthquake before the earthquake reaches the surface of the earth and shaking begins. In the case that you hear an emergency earthquake announcement, please act in the manner outlined on the following page:

Tornado. damage. thunderstorms and can cause a lot of. Tornadoes usually happen during. reaches from the sky to the ground.

Tornado. damage. thunderstorms and can cause a lot of. Tornadoes usually happen during. reaches from the sky to the ground. A strong rotating tunnel of air that reaches from the sky to the ground. Tornadoes usually happen during thunderstorms and can cause a lot of damage. Identify and prepare a wind safe room. or shelter (basement/cellar