"Special alert" What should I do then? July 15, 14:12

A "special alert" issued when the risk of a serious disaster is extremely high. I've heard about it, but I'm sure some people aren't sure what kind of alert it is and what to do when it is announced.

What is a "special warning"?

"Special alerts" are announced for each type of disaster. In the meteorological field, there are 6 types: "heavy rain", "heavy snow", "storm", "storm snow", "waves", and "storm surge". It is one of the largest alarms that indicates an "emergency situation", such as once every several decades.

The “special warning” was triggered by “Typhoon No. 12” that hit the Kii Peninsula in 2011. More than 90 people were killed despite the JMA calling for warning of a major disaster. The "special alert" was born from the lesson that the danger was not fully communicated and did not lead to quick evacuation of the residents.

"Special Alert" How Should We Act?

What should we do when this "special warning" is issued? We interviewed Mr. Atsushi Matsuo of the Japan Meteorological Agency forecasting department.

Mr. Matsuo: At
the stage when it was already announced, it is not unusual for some kind of disaster to occur. Those who are late for escape at the stage when the heavy rain special warning is issued, such as evacuating to a higher place such as the second floor, We need to do our best to save lives.''

Evacuate before the "Special Warning"!

By the time the "special warning" is announced, there is a high possibility that a disaster has already occurred and you are in a dangerous state. Therefore, it is important to evacuate before the "special warning" is issued.

This represents information such as weather warnings and evacuation advisories at five alert levels.

At the time of warning level 3 "heavy rain warning" or "flood warning", elderly people and people with disabilities should start evacuation. Even in the news, it says "it corresponds to alert level 3", so please refer to it.

At alert level 4, "evacuation advisory" and "evacuation instruction" are issued. Do not wait for level 5 and at this stage, people in dangerous areas should evacuate immediately. Also, please evacuate at the "evacuation advisory" stage. Evacuation instructions are more dangerous situations. If you haven't evacuated at that time, you need to evacuate immediately.

Alert level 5 is the situation where this "special warning" and "flood occurrence information" for rivers will be announced. It is possible that a disaster has already made it difficult to move to an evacuation site. Do your best to protect yourself and your family's lives, such as moving to a room on the second floor or higher of a building or on the opposite side of a house near a cliff.

Mr. Matsuo
"I think it's most important to complete evacuation before this happens without waiting for a special warning."

Get information as soon as possible!

In addition, Mr. Matsuo said that he would like to be prepared on a daily basis so that information such as weather warnings can be obtained as soon as possible.

Mr. Matsuo
``The time from the warning to the special warning may be very short, so such information as soon as possible, such as registering a disaster prevention application and setting it so that it reaches you I think it is necessary to make such an effort to get away and escape as soon as possible.''

From “release” to “switch”

And there's one more thing to remember about special alerts.

In Typhoon No. 19 of 2019, a flood of rivers continued after the special warning of heavy rain was lifted. Some people were involved in the flood damage after returning home from the shelter. Therefore, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Japan Meteorological Agency are now changing the wording of “special warning” to “switch to warning” instead of “cancel”. Even if the peak of heavy rain passes and the "special warning" is switched to "warning", you must not be alert. Please be cautious about flooding the river.

“Weekly Marukai News” (broadcast at 9 am on Saturday), “Migake, Curiosity!”, we delve into the news every week on topics such as current affairs presented in the entrance examination.
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