Natural Disasters

Japan is a country with four distinct seasons, and a variety of seasonal disasters such as torrential rains and typhoons occur frequently. Due to the influence of the seasonal rain front, heavy rains fall from late spring to early summer, while several typhoons approach or descend upon Japan every year from summer to autumn.
As these heavy rains and typhoons can cause various disasters such as landslides and flooding, confirm dangerous locations and determine where shelters are beforehand, and make adequate preparations in your daily life.

Japan is also a land with a high level of seismic activity compared with other countries. Earthquakes are the shaking of the ground which ensues due to the sudden slippage of usually stable underground tectonic plates along a portion of their edges.

When a strong earthquake occurs, the shaking can cause the collapse of buildings, outbreak of fire, and other calamities. In each of our daily lives, we should prepare for such an event to minimize damage.

Furthermore, a great earthquake, the Tokai Earthquake, is expected to occur in the near future, covering a large area and centered in the Tokai region. This Tokai Earthquake has occurred about every 100 to 150 years in the past. Since its last occurrence, more than 150 years have passed.

It is generally difficult to predict earthquakes, however the Tokai Earthquake offers the possibility of prediction. Should its occurrence be predicted, the Prime Minister will issue the Official Earthquake Warning to call attention.

In addition, because the Tokai Earthquake interacts with other earthquakes at the same time, there is the chance that the even more severe Nankai Trough Earthquake could occur. In the event of the Nankai Trough Earthquake, not only will a wide area experience strong earthquakes, but an extensive coastal area will be damaged by tsunami. In order to minimize disaster-related damages as much as possible, the city is preparing to provide warning information by television, radio, and other methods as fast as possible before or after the earthquake. In this event, we ask for the participation of every city resident to absolutely protect their own lives and the lives of their family, proactively gather disaster-related information, and move to a safety evacuation area as soon as possible.

Disaster and Fire Prevention Guide-Nagoya City

Surviving Earthquakes - Survival Manual - Nagoya Inernational Center  Part 1(外部リンク)  Part 2(外部リンク)  Part 3(外部リンク)

1. Earthquake, tsunami, flood hazard map(外部リンク)
2. Nagoya Emergency Evacuation Guide(外部リンク)
3. City of Nagoya Disaster Preparedness App(外部リンク)

1. Official websites (City of Nagoya official website, Nagoya International Center website(外部リンク))
2. E-mail service (emergency rapid mail, Kizuna Net(外部リンク) Disaster Preparedness Information)
3. Emergency speaker system, emergency broadcast telephone service(外部リンク)
4. City of Nagoya Disaster Preparedness Radio, City of Nagoya Disaster Preparedness Radio App
5. SNS (Twitter, Facebook)
6. City of Nagoya Flood Preparedness Information System(外部リンク)
7. Nagoya Disaster Mitigation Project(外部リンク)
8. Safety Tips(外部リンク)
9. Multilingual websites (Japan Meteorological Agency(外部リンク), NHK(外部リンク))

Pay special attention to weather information during the typhoon and torrential rain season (June to October). When a typhoon is approaching your area, make the following preparations:

1. In case of electrical blackout, please prepare a flashlight, portable radio, and fresh batteries.
2. Pay attention to weather information on radio or television.
3. Reinforce windows and be sure to close any amado, or sliding shutters, if you have them.
4. Bring objects at risk of being blown away (such as potted plants or laundry poles) indoors, or fasten them securely.
5. Do not go outdoors unnecessarily.
6. In areas at risk of flooding, move household goods to a higher location.
7. Prepare such things as food, drinking water, and medical supplies.
8. Prepare food, valuables, etc. for quick evacuation.
9. In at-risk regions where there is a possibility of flooding, prepare for quick evacuation at all times. (Please see a flood hazard map(外部リンク) (Japanese only).)
10. Confirm the locations of Designated Emergency Assembly Points and Designated Evacuation Shelters beforehand at your local ward office and the Nagoya City Official Website.

It is impossible to predict earthquakes. Therefore, it is important to continuously make adequate preparations and react correctly in the case of an emergency. Please take the following daily precautions:

1. Have a family disaster preparedness meeting to determine Earthquake Safe Areas as well as a means of contacting your family (such as the Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171 system or the Disaster Message Board service).
2. Implement anti-falling preventative measures, such as securing furniture to walls with metal fittings.
3. Store 7 days’ worth of food for your family and prepare 3 days’ worth in a backpack as an emergency supply, together with such items as flashlights, radios and valuables, for easy carrying to a Safety Evacuation Area.
4. Check the ground stability beneath your house or building.
5. Do not place combustibles near stoves, etc.
6. Prepare fire extinguishing tools such as fire extinguishers and buckets of water, etc. in case a fire should break out.
7. Check the locations of Designated Emergency Assembly Points and Designated Evacuation Shelters and evacuation routes.
8. When the Nankai Trough Earthquake Information has been issued, reconfirm your preparations for an earthquake disaster in your everyday life, and take extra care in your preparedness activities.
9. Actively participate in the fire drills organized by voluntary anti-disaster organizations and neighborhood associations.

However calm you may be in daily life, panic may strike in times of emergency. In order to act in a calm manner, the following should be learned so that they become automatic behavior:

1. If the shaking is so great you cannot move, assume a low posture and protect your head.
2. If you can move, protect your head with a helmet or cushion, and take refuge in a room where the furniture has been made tip-resistant or under a sturdy table or in a similarly safe place.
3. Open the doors to secure an exit.
4. Put out any fires once the building stops swaying.
5. Be careful of broken glass indoors.
6. When going outdoors, remain calm.
7. Prepare various routes to the evacuation site, and evacuate by the safest route.
8. Acquire accurate information through radio and television.
9. Be cautious of landslides and tsunami tidal waves.

When an earthquake occurs and a Tsunami Warning or Major Tsunami Warning is issued for Ise and Mikawa Bays, an evacuation advisory will be issued for locations designated as areas subject to evacuation* in Nagoya City, and persons in these areas should escape to an elevated location. If there is no high ground in your vicinity, evacuate to tsunami evacuation building. Notification of evacuation advisories will be carried out by sirens and loudspeaker vehicles.

*Areas Subject to Evacuation
Tsunami Warning: Part of Minato Ward
Major Tsunami Warning: Nakamura Ward, Mizuho Ward, Atsuta Ward, Nakagawa Ward, Minato Ward, Minami Ward, Midori Ward

A place to which you can evacuate temporarily when an earthquake occurs and a Tsunami Warning or Major Tsunami Warning is issued for Ise and Mikawa Bays. The sign pictured right is displayed at entrances, etc. of buildings designated Tsunami Evacuation Buildings.

Areas with Tsunami Evacuation Buildings: Nakamura Ward, Mizuho Ward, Atsuta Ward, Nakagawa Ward, Minato Ward, Minami Ward, Midori Ward

Shelters (e.g., elementary and junior high schools) have been established to accommodate persons who must evacuate their homes because of difficulty in daily living, due to damage from earthquakes, typhoons or floods, as well as for persons who are evacuated in advance from high-risk areas. Meanwhile, in case of a disaster involving a large-scale fire, parks and other facilities with sufficient space to protect evacuees from such a fire have been designated as Safety Evacuation Areas. In addition, places where evacuees can take temporary refuge and check the fire situation on their way to Safety Evacuation Areas have been designated as temporary evacuation sites. Moreover, some structures have been designated as tsunami evacuation buildings so that they can be used as temporary shelters if a giant tsunami warning is issued in an area where there is no high ground nearby. Please check evacuation routes in advance, and check for dangerous spots along the route to the safe areas.

“Your Ward’s Earthquake Hazard Map” provides information such as on damage expected to be caused by an earthquake, as well as on locations of shelters and Safety Evacuation Areas. “Your Ward’s Tsunami Hazard Map” is a tsunami version of the earthquake hazard map, and provides information such as on locations of tsunami evacuation buildings. Also available is “Your Ward’s Flooding and Inland Water Hazard Map, which provides information such as on places of shelters. For further details, please refer to the Nagoya City Official Website, or contact your local ward office or the Nagoya International Center.

Map of Shelters & Safe Areas

Preparation for evacuation is essential. Please evacuate to a safe place in accordance with directions from your ward office, the police, the fire department, and volunteer anti-disaster organizations or when faced with the threat of flooding, tsunami (tidal waves), landslides, collapse of housing or the spread of fire.

1. Before evacuation, check that you have put out all fires. (Turn off your gas line at the source, and switch off electrical breakers.)
2. Do not forget to leave a message at home describing your whereabouts, contact information, and health condition prior to evacuation.
3. Wear comfortable clothing, and do not forget to protect your head when an earthquake occurs.
4. Evacuate with provisions and supplies in an emergency backpack.
5. Evacuate on foot, never by motor vehicle.
6. Firmly hold the hands of the elderly and children.
7. Have a family meeting on disaster prevention to determine which shelter(s) to use.
8. When going to Safety Evacuation Areas or to shelters, avoid narrow streets and do not walk near walls or rivers.
9. Once an earthquake has occurred, distance yourself from the shore as quickly as possible, even if you cannot visually recognize the occurrence of tsunami. It is expected that tsunami will hit the city without causing white waves, and that the entire sea surface will rise.
10. Stop what you are doing (swimming, fishing, etc.) and distance yourself from the shore, in cases of a tsunami advisory.
11. Tsunamis occur in waves. Watch conditions from a safe place until the tsunami warning or tsunami advisory has been lifted.

In times of disaster, telephone lines into the affected area are expected to become overwhelmed. As rescue and recovery efforts by emergency organizations and the telephone services they depend on can be hindered as a result of incoming calls, please refrain from making unnecessary or non-urgent phone calls or redialing repeatedly.
Cases in which one is unable to get through to those in the affected area, the Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171 (telephone service), Disaster Emergency Message Board (web171), etc., as described below, is available for use.

When an earthquake or other disaster occurs, telephone lines may become overwhelmed with calls to the affected area by people checking on the safety of their loved ones, and conditions making it difficult to get through may last for days.
Therefore, the Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171 Service is available to confirm the safety of family, relatives, and friends in such a situation. This is a service in which those outside the affected area can confirm the safety of family, friends, and others through playback of a message recorded by those persons in the affected area and stored at the Disaster Emergency Message Dial Center.
The Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171 Service is only available during times of disaster. First dial 171, then follow the voice instructions to record or listen to a message. For more information in English about this service, please visit the NTT WEST Website at http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/dengon/english/(外部リンク).

• Dial 171, and follow the automated guidance to record and playback messages.
• Service can be used from subscribed phones, ISDN, public phones, Hikari Denwa (optical IP telephone service) and specially-established public phones installed by NTT EAST and NTT WEST at evacuation facilities and other locations in the event of a disaster. Service is also accessible from cellular phones and PHS. Please contact your carrier for details.

Dial 171 and follow the pre-recorded instructions to record or playback a message.

• Choose beforehand among immediate family members, relatives, and acquaintances the home number of the person in the affected area or other number of the person in the affected area to contact to use for saving and replaying messages.
• Please speak so that information can be accurately recorded within the allotted time.

In addition to the Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171 (phone service) for voice messages, NTT WEST provides a service that enables recording and viewing messages (text) called the Disaster Emergency Message Board (web171).

 This service allows people to record a message (text) using a phone number as the key for accessing the message board via the internet by people residing in affected areas (including evacuation centers, etc.) when a disaster occurs. The recorded message can be viewed using the phone number as a key by adding people from around Japan (and overseas).

 For more information about the English version of the Disaster message board in English (web171) please view: http://www.ntt-west.co.jp/dengon/web171/english/(外部リンク)

• Number of messages that can be recorded
  20 messages per message board (message box)
  * When there are more than 20, messages will be deleted starting with the oldest and the new one will be saved.

• Message boards (message boxes)
  With no user information: 1 board
  With user information: up to 20 boards*
  * User information must be registered in advance

• Storage period
  Up to six months
  * For trial use: for the trial period

• Text messages
  Up to 100 characters per message

• The 1st of 15th of each month, 00:00-24:00
• January 1 to 3 (from 00:00 January 1 to 24:00 January 3)
• Disaster Preparedness Week (from 9:00 August 30 to 17:00 September 5)
• Disaster Preparedness & Volunteer Week (from 9:00 January 15 to 17:00 January 21)

• Until the end of the trial service period

• Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171)
  Center usage charges for the use of message storage units, etc. are free of charge. Dialing charges are free to record and play back messages from an NTT East or NTT West subscription phone. For calls from telephones connected to the network of other telecommunications carriers, contact the relevant carrier regarding dialing charges.
• Disaster Emergency Message Board (web171) Internet connection charge applies during trial use.

At the Nagoya Minato Disaster Prevention Center, you can experience intensity 7-level earthquakes artificially generated with an earthquake simulation machine, including those equivalent to past disasters, and also learn about the Ise Bay Typhoon through visual, sound and lighting effects.

For more information, call the Minato Disaster Prevention Center.
Address: 12-20, Komei 1-chome, Minato-ku, Nagoya (TEL 651-1100 FAX 651-6220)