Mid-August is usually a time of clear skies. This year, however, heavy rains continued to fall mainly in Kyushu and Hiroshima. And September is the season of typhoons. There is no harm in reviewing your preparedness for flooding while you still can.
<figure id="attachment_200828" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2971px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-200828"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7eebed1a"><img src="https://gsjebzejhjubm-res.cloudinary.com/image/private/s--9NbfxF4D--/t_article_image/v1629664703/aflo_167163311_njopuk.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-200828" class="wp-caption-text">On August 14, record-breaking rainfall was observed in many parts of Japan, flooding roads and submerging trucks and passenger cars in Tosu City, Saga Prefecture.</figcaption></figure>
The first thing to do is to gather information.
The first thing to do is to gather information. Crisis management advisor, Nobue Kunisaki, advises as follows.
 &#8220;Use the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism&#8217;s Hazard Map Portal Site to check the risk of flooding and landslides in the area where your home is located. The Geographical Survey Institute&#8217;s &#8220;Geographical Survey Institute Map&#8221; is also recommended. You can check the locations where disasters have occurred in the past. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism&#8217;s &#8220;River Disaster Prevention Information&#8221; also has a section called &#8220;Flood Risk Line. Here you can find out the water level of nearby rivers. Also, if you register your location in the &#8220;Check the Risk at Home&#8221; section, you can easily view various information specific to your home area, such as rainfall and dam discharge information.
There are many things to do before the heavy rains start. There are many things you can do before the rains start. If you check the hazard map and find that your house is in a flooded area, you should &#8220;evacuate&#8221; your property.
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 &#8220;You can move your valuables to the second floor or leave them at your parents&#8217; house. You can move your valuables to the second floor or leave them at your parents&#8217; house. It may cost more, but consider using a safe deposit box or trunk room.
What should you do if torrential rain is expected in the next day or two? Tomoya Takani, an advisor on preparedness and disaster prevention, says, &#8220;The risk of flooding is low.
 Tomoya Takani, an advisor on preparedness and disaster prevention, says, &#8220;Even if you live in an area where the risk of flooding is low, make sure you have all the necessary supplies in case lifelines are shut down. Especially in the summer, it is a good idea to fill up your freezer with plastic bottles. The cold air will last longer, and the frozen bottles will also help prevent heat stroke. Don&#8217;t forget to keep your various batteries fully charged. If you live in a flooded area, move your vehicle to a location where there is no risk of submersion. Also, if there is a possibility of major flooding in areas such as Koto 5 ward, which is located in the eastern lowlands of Tokyo, consider getting to a safe, distant location as soon as possible before the transportation network is disrupted.
If you live in a flooded area, you will need to take the utmost precautions this year. If you live in a flooded area, you will need to take maximum precautions this year,&#8221; says disaster risk management advisor Takamasa Wada.
 &#8220;If you use sandbags to stop the flooding, you can prevent damage to your property and home. Some local governments have sandbagging stations where people can hand out sandbags. You can also fill plastic bags with water to make waterbags and block the drains of toilets and bathrooms to prevent the backflow of sewage.
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Of course, you should also be prepared to go from your home to the evacuation site. Of course, you should also prepare to get from your home to the evacuation site,&#8221; said Nobuyuki Tsuchiya, a technical advisor at the Riverfront Research Institute, who is an expert on flood countermeasures.
 &#8220;You can buy a life jacket for about 3,000 yen, but you can also make a substitute. You can buy one for about 3,000 yen, but you can also make a substitute by stuffing Styrofoam into a laundry net and carrying it in front of you in a backpack. If you leave your body wet, you will get hypothermia, which can be deadly.&#8221;
If you plan to move around in the rain, water-repellent clothing, rather than a poncho or raincoat, will make it easier to move around. Also, a waterproof headlamp is useful to keep both hands free. Trekking shoes are also a good idea instead of boots, which are difficult to walk in when water gets in.
The most difficult thing is the timing of evacuation.
 &#8220;It is risky to move when the water level is high. Evacuation at night when visibility is poor is also dangerous. Sometimes it is better to evacuate to the second floor or higher of a sturdy building and wait for rescue, or to wait until the water recedes. It is important to obtain information about your area in multiple ways and make decisions as soon as possible.
Mr. Kunisaki continues, &#8220;It is important to evacuate easily.
 &#8220;When the hourly rainfall reaches 30mm, check for shelters in safe areas, internet cafes, hotels and 24-hour bathing facilities. When it reaches 50mm, evacuation should begin for those living in dangerous areas.
In heavy rain, you cannot hear the disaster prevention radio. In heavy rain, people cannot hear the disaster prevention radio, so they need to set their own evacuation criteria in advance to protect their lives.
<figure id="attachment_200829" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3571px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-200829"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8e444169"><img src="https://gsjebzejhjubm-res.cloudinary.com/image/private/s--U3-8TE3b--/t_article_image/v1629664703/10000000000000136680_20210816230715060111_P210814000168_svpcuz.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-200829" class="wp-caption-text">In Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, a kindergarten was completely flooded. Passenger cars were submerged up to their roofs.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_200830" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3519px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-200830"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7a481062"><img src="https://gsjebzejhjubm-res.cloudinary.com/image/private/s--zAYUC7ML--/t_article_image/v1629664703/2021081506646_hyomdy.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-200830" class="wp-caption-text">Medical personnel are rescued from Juntendo Hospital (Omachi, Saga Prefecture), where the surrounding area was flooded, by Self-Defense Force personnel on a boat.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_200831" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3669px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-200831"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="73b211b6"><img src="https://gsjebzejhjubm-res.cloudinary.com/image/private/s--rVUdjttW--/t_article_image/v1629664703/aflo_167163331_ho4ao9.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-200831" class="wp-caption-text">Houses and vehicles were damaged when sand and soil washed into a residential area in Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima City.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_200832" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3844px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-200832"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8cc6d340"><img src="https://gsjebzejhjubm-res.cloudinary.com/image/private/s--vXqzyE5A--/t_article_image/v1629664703/2021081405496_hepilg.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-200832" class="wp-caption-text">Residents huddle in an evacuation center in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture. There is also the Corona disaster, so people have private space.</figcaption></figure>
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From the September 3, 2021 issue of FRIDAY
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 Mainichi Shimbun/Afro (1st, 4th) Asahi Shimbun (2nd) Kyodo News (3rd, 5th)

 In mid-August, the weather is usually fine. This year, however, heavy rains have been falling mainly in Kyushu and Hiroshima, and more guerrilla rains are expected from late August.

Typhoons are coming soon… What you need to know to protect your family from floods

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