Are you ready if disaster strikes?

Find out what you need to do by watching this program...

BOSAI: Be Prepared.

Our topic this time is "Typhoon Preparations."

September 2015.

Eastern Japan was hit by a storm associated with a typhoon.

The Brazilian community in Ibaraki was put in a difficult situation, not knowing what to do.

Hello! My name is Janni Olsson.

In my country, Sweden, we don't get typhoons like they do here in Japan,

so today I want to learn more about typhoons: how to prepare for them and also how to evacuate.

The person that will answer to all of my questions is the weather forecaster and disaster prevention expert, Hasebe Ai.

Thank you for joining us.

Glad to be here.

Hasebe provides weather information on radio programs and other media.

As a disaster relief specialist, she also transmits messages on how to prepare for weather disasters.

First, could you please tell us exactly what kind of weather is called a typhoon?

Right.

Let's look at a weather map first.

This feature like an eye is a typhoon.

The more crowded the swirling lines here are, the more dangerous the typhoon can be, meaning its wind force is strong.

As for the direction of travel, typhoons develop in the ocean south of Japan and often move to the east like this.

Please check carefully if the area where you live falls within this circle.

More than 20 typhoons develop every year, mostly between July and October,

and around half of them approach or hit Japan.

They can bring ferocious winds of up to 50 meters per second and torrential rainfall.

In English, the terms used for tropical storms depend on the wind speed.

But in Japan, the term TYPHOON is used to refer to all storms with a maximum wind speed of 17 meters per second or faster,

and warnings are issued when such storms occur.

It depends on their speed, but after reaching around here,

most typhoons approach Kyushu in a few days and the Kanto region around Tokyo in five days.

So, you should be on the alert for a week or so after the typhoon appears on the weather map.

So there's quite a bit of time to prepare.

Yes. One good thing about a typhoon is that we can be prepared in advance.

What kind of preparations are required?

First, check your local hazard map.

Where can I find that?

Just enter the area you live in and search for "hazard map."

There are maps for every city and town in Japan.

So I just have to search for "Shibuya City Hazard Map."

Hazard maps can be downloaded from local government websites.

It's important to check both dangerous areas and evacuation facilities.

When you see a map like this, you can tell how close you live to a river

and should beware of flooding when there is heavy rainfall,

or you live near hills, so there could be the danger of landslides.

Where can I get information about typhoons?

You can get it from TV, radio, or apps.

If you register your area of residence in the apps,

they will alert you when you are in danger, so it's a good idea to keep such apps.

On the NHK WORLD-JAPAN website and app, you can receive news in multiple languages.

Also available in several languages is Safety Tips, an application supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency.

If you register a region, it will inform you of the weather and any disaster warnings issued for that area.

Many other applications are available.

Please try them out in advance and make use of the one that works best for you.

At home, you should prepare an emergency toilet, emergency provisions, and drinking water

in case of water supply and sewage services become unavailable,

and a flashlight and mobile battery in case of power failure.

So, Janni, supposing this is your balcony, how do you think you should prepare for an approaching typhoon?

I don't think a plastic insect cage would hurt you, but a flower pot definitely would.

And wood tiles could hit you on the head if they came off.

Also, when a typhoon gets close and the wind speed increases greatly, you should remove laundry poles as well.

They could hit and break the window glass.

So besides yourself, your home and belongings could be damaged.

Right.

And this pair of sandals and the insect cage look light.

But, in fact, they can become deadly weapons in the event of a typhoon with a very strong wind.

These? I thought they're OK because they look soft!

For example, if a sandal is blown by a wind with a velocity of 50 meters per second, it will break window glass.

A sandal?

So it's recommended to put everything on the balcony inside.

This is an experiment that reproduces the force of wind.

If a child's umbrella flies at a speed of 35 meters per second...

it becomes a lethal weapon, even breaking through a glass window.

Rainstorms caused by typhoons can be very powerful.

A typhoon in 2019 rapidly developed into a ferocious storm shortly after its onset

and maintained its power until just before its landfall.

It then moved across eastern Japan raging fiercely, and over 100 people were killed.

Evacuation timing is crucial, right?

Yes. It's very difficult to decide when to evacuate,

but as an indicator, local governments will issue an evacuation order saying "All must evacuate."

It will appear on local disaster radio channels, websites, and TV news,

so when you see it, think about immediate evacuation.

"All must evacuate" is Level 4 of the five Alert Levels.

Before that, Level 3 "Elderly people must evacuate"

may be issued to encourage the evacuation of the elderly, infants, and those in need of assistance.

Level 5, "Secure safety immediately"

is issued when danger is imminent or you are already in the midst of a typhoon disaster.

At this stage, it is not safe to go outside.

Instead, you should carry out "vertical evacuation,"

moving to the highest room in your residence, furthest away from the area where water and sediment could enter.

And sleep in a room where they cannot easily come in.

Where should I evacuate to?

There will be a temporary disaster shelter in your neighborhood,

but it may not be open at the early stage of a typhoon's approach.

You may want to evacuate early before the storm becomes destructive,

so one option is to go to a friend's home, if that's possible.

Or you could go to a hotel.

Ah, that would be a great strategy for the elderly and those who take a long time to evacuate.

How about evacuating by car?

Or staying in your car? Is that dangerous?

The car might stop running if the muffler gets flooded, and if that happens, you can't move.

And if the situation reaches that level, it's already difficult to evacuate even if you can get out.

You can't open the door?

If there's even a shallow flood outside the door, you may not be able to open it.

And if the water level increases, the whole car, together with you inside, may be swept away, which is very dangerous.

At the time of the typhoon in 2019, around half of the 57 people who died outdoors were driving.

They were either swept away in rivers or their vehicles fell into holes suddenly created in roads.

Being fully informed is so important.

I hope everyone will watch TV or check apps and prepare as quickly as possible.

Typhoons are becoming more predictable, and if you are informed and prepared in advance,

you can protect yourself, your friends, and your family from dangers that could result in injury or,

in the worst case, loss of life.

I hope that everyone remains mindful of getting information.

I totally agree! Thank you very much.