Life in Fukuoka "English"

【Disaster Prevention Day-Evacuating during a Disaster】

Today, I want to talk about Disaster Prevention Day, an annual awareness day on September 1^st.  More specifically, I want to give you some information on evacuating during a disaster.

The Japanese kanji for evacuation means "avoiding difficulty. And that is exactly what you are trying to do. In the event of an emergency, it is important to know in advance where you can secure your safety.

If heavy rain is forecasted, or if heavy rain actually occurs, or if other risks increase, you should evacuate to a place where you can be sure of safety.

If you are in or near a "dangerous area," you should be prepared to evacuate immediately even if Fukuoka City has not issued an evacuation notice. If there is a risk, such as with forecasted or actual heavy rain, be prepared and evacuate based on your own judgment.

Dangerous areas" are areas where there is a risk of landslides or flooding, such as near mountains or rivers, or in flood-prone areas.

You can check the "Hazardous Areas" on the "Fukuoka City Comprehensive Hazard Map" on the Fukuoka City website. It will show you useful information on evacuation sites, locations of city and ward offices, and hazardous areas in the event of a disaster and give you information on things you should know in case of an earthquake, tsunami, typhoon, or flood.

https://webmap.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/bousai/

You don't have to only go to evacuation centers set up by the city, by the way. If it is safe to do so, you can also evacuate to the homes of relatives and acquaintances, hotels, and other evacuation sites.

This kind of "distributed evacuation" is especially important now with covid-19 infections a concern.

Those who are in "safe areas" where there is no risk of landslides or flooding should stay in their homes and ensure their own safety.

A "safe place" though, does not mean that there have been no disasters in the past. If you feel even the slightest bit of danger in your surroundings, please move to another location.

In addition to emergency supplies you may have already prepared, like water, food, cell phone chargers, medicine, and medicine notebooks, you should also prepare an emergency bag in advance that includes masks, disinfectant solution, thermometers, plastic gloves, and other items as a measure against the spread of infection.

【Information from Fukuoka City】

Disaster Prevention Day and Stockpiling Encouragement Week
To continue, I have some information from Fukuoka City. IN addition to Disaster Prevention Day, in Fukuoka City, the week of the 1st to the 7th of September is Fukuoka City's Stockpiling Encouragement Week. Stockpiling refers to keeping a good supply of food and other necessities in your home. And through this one week event, the city hopes to raise its citizens' awareness of disaster prevention, including the need to stockpile in both our homes and workplaces.

So why do we need to stockpile? Well, if there is an earthquake or typhoon, even if you aren't in danger, without food or water, we can't survive. If the stores shut down, we can't buy the food and drinks we need. If our water system is stopped, there's no water to drink either. And, if the electric and gas are out, there's no way we can cook food. So, in order to really be safe, it's important to keep a rolling stock.

Alright, so what should be stockpiled?
You should have drinkable water and 3 days worth of food. One person needs roughly three liters of water per day, something to keep in mind. Emergency foods like freeze-dried rice, canned foods, biscuits, chocolate bars and hardtack are some things that are good to have on hand. Food that doesn't need to be cooked is essential.
If you have a radio and flashlight, make sure they have batteries. And if you take medicine, or need bandages or anything like that, make sure you have extra supplies in with your first aid kit. If there is an infant in your family, make sure you have diapers in your supplies as well.

In addition to the water you'll need for drinking, you'll also need water for flushing the toilet and other sanitary needs. Keep a water tank full of water on a daily basis or fill the bathtub so that you do have that extra water on hand.

Buy a little more than you usually do, of the foods you normally eat, and as you use them up, make sure you replace them so that you always have a little more than enough in your house. This is your rolling stock. This is recommended because then you don't have to worry about expiration dates like when you keep a bag full of emergency food in your closet.

We get typhoons every year, so take a look at what you have in your home and make sure you are prepared.