Preparing at Home for a Disaster

Heavy rain has caused flood damage over the past few days mainly in western Japan. This is not something else, and we don't know when it will hit us. It is possible to minimize the damage by preparing for a disaster in advance. Today, we would like to introduce the main measures to be taken at home for not only flood damage but also many disasters.

Are you devising how to place furniture?

During the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Chuetsu Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture, many people died or were injured when they fell under the falling furniture. In the event of a major earthquake, it is necessary to take measures to prevent falls, thinking that "furniture must fall".

-Fix furniture to the wall to prevent it from falling
-Try to keep furniture in your bedroom or children's room as little as possible. Even when placing it, make it as short as possible and devise the orientation and arrangement of the furniture so as not to block the entrance when it falls.
-Keep a flashlight, slippers, and whistle within reach

Is the stockpile of food and beverages enough?

In case you lose your lifeline such as electricity, gas, water, etc., keep a stock of drinking water and food that can be preserved. Instead of preparing anything special for disaster prevention, try to prepare foods and other items that are used in your daily life as much as possible.

Example of stockpiling of food, beverages and daily necessities (let's prepare for each person)
-Drinking water for 3 days (3 liters per person per day is a standard)
-Emergency meals for 3 days, rice (alpha rice etc.), biscuits, chocolate bar, dry bread etc.
-Toilet paper, tissue paper, matches, candles, cassette stoves, etc.
* In case of a large-scale disaster, it is desirable to stockpile for one week.
* In addition to drinking water, you also need water for daily use such as flushing the toilet. Be prepared on a daily basis, such as by preparing a plastic tank containing tap water and filling the bath water in the event of a disaster.

 Are you ready for an emergency bag?

​When your home is damaged, you will have to evacuate to a safe place and lead an evacuation life. Pack things you should take with you in an emergency in your backpack so that you can take them with you at any time.
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Example of the contents of an emergency carry-out bag (let's prepare for the number of people)
-Drinking water, food (cup noodles, canned food, biscuits, chocolate, etc.)
-Valuables (bankbook, seal, cash, health insurance card, etc.)
-First-aid items (bands, bandages, antiseptic solutions, regular medicine, etc.)
-Helmet, disaster prevention hood, mask, work gloves
-Flashlight, mobile radio, spare battery, mobile phone charger
-Clothes, underwear, blankets, towels
-Toiletries, disposable body warmers, wet tissues, mobile toilets
*For families with infants, prepare milk, diapers, baby bottles, etc.

Have you decided how to confirm the safety of your family members?

In order to be able to confirm the safety of each other in the event of a disaster when you are in different places, discuss the safety confirmation method and the meeting place in advance. In the event of a disaster, it may be difficult to connect due to difficulty in connecting to the mobile phone line. In that case, let's use the following services.
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Disaster message dial
-You can record a message by dialing "171" without the area code, and family members who know your phone number can play the message.
*Available from general subscriber phones, public phones, and some IP phones.
* You can also use it from a mobile phone or PHS.

Have you checked the evacuation site and evacuation route?

n order to evacuate without hesitation in the event of a disaster, obtain disaster prevention maps and hazard maps from the website of your local government or the hazard map portal site of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and prepare evacuation sites and evacuation routes in advance.
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the Hazard Map Portal Site of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

*Safe evacuation sites vary depending on the type of disaster such as heavy rain, tsunami, volcanic eruption, etc. Think of each disaster and think about how you can safely evacuate as a whole family.

Collecting information in case of an accident

Immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake, social networking services (SNS) were widely used as a means of information transmission amid severe damage to communication infrastructure. Also, if you cannot connect to the telephone or the Internet or if it's slow, you can collect information by watching TV broadcasts using the 1 SEG function of your smartphone or mobile phone. Please check in advance to see if you can receive 1 SEG in your life range.

The above are disaster countermeasures that can be prepared in advance. However, if there is more heavy rain than usual, or if there is a sudden disaster, check the local disaster information on TV or the Internet, evacuate before the disaster occurs, and act with priority on life. Each region has a center that sends information in multiple languages, so please check in a calm situation. We sincerely pray for your safety.