Japan to revamp weather warning system from May to aid prompt evacuation

TOKYO – Japan will start operating a revamped weather warning system in late May to help speed evacuation decisions based on the severity of natural disasters, the weather agency and the Land Ministry said Dec 16.

The new system will classify four types of weather disasters – heavy rain, flooding, landslides and storm surges – into five alert levels to better align with the five-tier evacuation information currently issued by municipalities.

Weather warnings and advisories are issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency to help the public decide whether to evacuate, even before an evacuation order is issued.

But some of the wording and the structure of the system have been seen as complicated.

The new system will clarify that an “emergency warning” represents the highest weather alert, Level 5, signalling a potentially life-threatening situation in which evacuation should already be completed.

The term “urgent warning” will be used under the new system for weather alert Level 4, indicating a situation in which municipalities are expected to issue evacuation orders.

Level 3, or “warning”, will indicate a situation prompting the evacuation of elderly people, while a weather advisory will be defined as Level 2.

How widely and quickly the new warnings and advisories can be communicated to residents will remain a key challenge during disasters.

The updated weather alert has been devised after more than two years of discussions among experts and legal revisions.

Calling it a major revamp, a weather agency official vowed to work with other related institutions to “ensure it integrates into society” and leads to prompt evacuation.

Under the new system, a Level 5 emergency warning for flooding will apply to about 400 designated rivers when they overflow or face an imminent risk of doing so, with other rivers handled under the heavy rain category for the time being. KYODO NEWS