Typhoons
Typhoons, known as hurricanes, east of the International Date Line, are very strong tropical cyclones that cause destructive winds, heavy flooding rains, and deadly high surf. Okinawa sits in the tropical zone where typhoons pass regularly, primarily during the months of June through November. Typhoons can hit Okinawa within a day or two of forming, so you need to be prepared by keeping yourself informed of the current weather situation and having your Family Emergency Plan and Family Disaster Supplies Kit handy.
TRAINING AND PRACTICE:
CONDUCT DISASTER OR EVACUATION DRILLS: Practice evacuations to one or two predesignated meeting places to prepare yourself and/or your family for situations that could force you to displace. Evacuation sites might be right outside of your home or outside of your neighborhood. If you cannot return home or are asked to leave your neighborhood, everyone must know the address and phone number of the meeting locations.
GET FIRST AID AND FIRE EXTINGUISHER TRAINING: Contact your unit Safety Officer or local Fire Department.
PLAN YOUR ACTIONS FOR EACH TROPICAL CYCLONE CONDITION OF READINESS (TCCOR): See the explanations for each TCCOR under “TYPHOON RELATED TERMS”.
TRAINING & CERTIFICATION | American Red Cross (americanredcrossokinawa.org)
TROPICAL CYCLONE CONDITIONS OF READINESS (TCCOR):
Forecasts of tropical cyclone tracks are used to determine TCCORs. Each TCCOR correlates to official instructions to be followed by all sofa-status personnel. The TCCORs are based on current and projected weather conditions and are issued by Okinawa’s TCCOR Authority, which is the 18th Wing Commanding General (Kadena).
The Camp Commander may direct extra measures from higher-level TCCORs to enhance the camp’s preparedness without actually declaring a higher TCCOR. For example, the TCCOR Authority may direct TCCOR-3 for Okinawa on a Friday, but because the storm threat could increase over the weekend, the Camp Commander might proactively direct the camp to set a TCCOR-1 posture before securing in order to avoid recalls over the weekend. Understand the difference to ensure your family is properly informed.
TCCOR Conditions:
TCCOR 5: Destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are possible within 96 hours. TCCOR 5 is only used outside of the establish Typhoon season.
TCCOR 4: Destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are possible within 72 hours. TCCOR 4 will be continuously in effect as a minimum condition of readiness from 1 June to 30 November annually.
TCCOR 3: Destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are possible within 48 hours.
Initiate a general cleanup around homes and office.
TCCOR 2: Destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are anticipated within 24 hours.
Remove or secure all outside items.
TCCOR 1: Destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are anticipated within 12 hours.
Fill any containers you can use for water storage. If you live in low lying quarters, make arrangements to stay with a friend. Make final check of food and other supplies.
TCCOR 1 Caution: Destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are anticipated within 12 hours. Actual winds are 34-49 knots.
Base exchange, shops, Commissary, Shoppettes, Gas Station, Services facilities, Clubs, Restaurants, Recreational Facilities and Post Office will close. Movement about the base should be kept to a minimum.
TCCOR 1 Emergency: Actual winds of 50 knots or greater.
All outside activity is prohibited.
TCCOR 1 Recovery: Destructive winds of 50 knots are no longer occurring. Actual winds are 34-49 knots. All outside activity is prohibited while response teams survey storm damage.
All Clear: Hazardous conditions and winds are no longer present. Return to normal duties. All Clear is announced when all hazards have been cleared.
TYPHOON Resources:
Typhoon Guide
The current TCCOR status can be found at shogun weather or other credible sites linked below:
Kadena Air Base Facebook
Japan Meteorological Agency
Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) (navy.mil)
Kadena Air Base > Agencies > Local Weather (af.mil)
Earthquakes
Earthquakes strike suddenly, without warning. Earthquakes can occur at any time of the year and at any time of the day or night. On a yearly basis, 70 to 75 damaging earthquakes occur throughout the world.
WHAT ARE EARTHQUAKES AND WHAT CAUSES THEM?
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the breaking and shifting of rock beneath the Earth's surface. For hundreds of millions of years, the forces of plate tectonics have shaped the Earth as the huge plates that form the Earth's surface move slowly over, under, and past each other. Sometimes the movement is gradual. At other times, the plates are locked together, unable to release the accumulating energy. When the accumulated energy grows strong enough, the plates break free causing the ground to shake. Most earthquakes occur at the boundaries where the plates meet; however, some earthquakes occur in the middle of plates. Ground shaking from earthquakes can collapse buildings and bridges; disrupt gas, electric, and phone service; and sometimes trigger landslides, avalanches, flash floods, fires, and huge, destructive ocean waves (tsunamis).
Buildings with foundations resting on unconsolidated landfill and other unstable soil, and trailers and homes not tied to their foundations are at risk because they can be shaken off their mountings during an earthquake. When an earthquake occurs in a populated area, it may cause deaths, injuries, and extensive property damage.
Where earthquakes have occurred in the past, they will happen again.
AFTERSHOCKS
Aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that follow the main shock and can cause further damage to weakened buildings. Aftershocks can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake. Be aware that some earthquakes are actually foreshocks, and a larger earthquake might occur. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related injuries result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects as a result of the ground shaking, or people trying to move more than a few feet during the shaking. Much of the damage in earthquakes is predictable and preventable.
PREPARING FOR AN EARTHQUAKE
Develop an earthquake-specific family plan. Learn about earthquake risk in your area. Pick "safe places" in each room of your home. A safe place could be under a sturdy table, desk, or against an interior wall away from windows, bookcases, or tall furniture that could fall on you. The shorter the distance to move to safety, the less likely you will be injured.
Injury statistics show that persons moving more than 10 feet during an earthquake's shaking are most likely to experience injury. Practice drop, cover, and hold-on in each safe place. Drop under a sturdy desk or table, hold on, and protect your eyes by pressing your face against your arm. Practicing will make these actions an automatic response. When an earthquake or other disaster occurs, many people hesitate, trying to remember what they are supposed to do. Responding quickly and automatically may help protect you from injury.
Talk with your insurance agent. Different areas have different requirements for earthquake protection. Study locations of active faults, and if you are at risk, consider purchasing earthquake insurance.
Get training. Take a first aid class from your local Red Cross chapter. Get training on how to use a fire extinguisher from your local fire department. Keep your training current. Training will help you to keep calm and know what to do when an earthquake occurs.
Discuss earthquakes with your family. Inform guests, babysitters, and caregivers of your plan. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing earthquakes ahead of time helps reduce fear and anxiety, and lets everyone know how to respond.
WHAT IS A THUNDERSTORM?
A thunderstorm is formed from a combination of moisture, rapidly rising warm air, and a force capable of lifting air such as a warm or cold front, a sea breeze, or a mountain. All thunderstorms contain lightning. Thunderstorms may occur individually, in clusters or in lines. Thus, it is possible for several thunderstorms to affect one location in the course of a few hours. Some of the most severe weather occurs when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time.
Some thunderstorms can be seen approaching, while others hit without warning. It is important to learn and recognize the danger signs and to plan ahead. Learn the thunderstorm danger signs; dark, towering, or threatening clouds, and distant lightning and thunder. Because light travels much faster than sound, lightning flashes can be seen long before the resulting thunder is heard. If you count the number of seconds between the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, and then divide by 5, you'll get the distance in miles to the lightning: 5 seconds = 1 mile, 15 seconds = 3 miles, 0 seconds = very close. You are in danger from lightning if you can hear thunder. Knowing how far away a storm is does not mean that you are in danger only when the storm is overhead.
A severe thunderstorm watch is issued when the weather conditions are such that a severe thunderstorm (damaging winds 58 miles per hour or more, or hail three-fourths of an inch in diameter or greater) is likely to develop. This is the time to locate a safe place in the home and tell family members to watch the sky and listen to AFN for more information and wait for the "all clear" by the authorities.
Tornadoes are spawned by thunderstorms and flash flooding can occur with thunderstorms. When a "severe thunderstorm warning" is issued, review what actions to take under a "tornado warning" or a "flash flood warning." Develop an emergency communication plan in case family members are separated from one another during a thunderstorm.
WHAT IS LIGHTING?
Lightning is an electrical discharge that results from the buildup of positive and negative charges within a thunderstorm. When the buildup becomes strong enough, lightning appears as a "bolt." This flash of light usually occurs within the clouds or between the clouds and the ground. A bolt of lightning reaches a temperature approaching 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a split second. The rapid heating and cooling of air near the lightning causes thunder. Thunderstorms can bring heavy rains (which can cause flash flooding), strong winds, hail, lightning and tornadoes. In a severe thunderstorm get inside a sturdy building and stay tuned to a battery-operated radio for weather information. Lightning is a major threat during a thunderstorm.
PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE DURING A THUNDERSTORM AND LIGHTING
Have disaster supplies on hand. Consult the Disaster Supplies Kit page. Other precautions:
- Check for hazards in the yard. Dead or rotting trees and branches can fall during a severe thunderstorm and cause injury and damage.
- Make sure that all family members know how to respond after a thunderstorm.
- Teach family members how and when to turn off gas, electricity and water.
- Teach children how and when to call 1-1-9, PMO, fire department, which TV station and which radio station to tune for emergency information.
WHAT TO DO DURING A THUNDERSTORM?
- Secure outdoor objects such as lawn furniture that could blow away or cause damage or injury. Take light objects inside. Shutter windows securely and brace outside doors.
- Listen to a battery operated radio or television for the latest storm information.
- Do not handle any electrical equipment or telephones because lightning could follow the wire. Television sets are particularly dangerous at this time.
- Avoid bathtubs, water faucets, and sinks as metal pipes can transmit electricity.
- Report downed utility wires.
If caught outdoors:
- Attempt to get into a building or car. If no structure is available, get to an open space and squat low to the ground as quickly as possible.
- If caught in the woods find an area protected by low clump of trees - never stand underneath a single large tree in the open.
- It is a myth that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. In fact, lightning will strike several times in the same place in the course of one discharge.
- Be aware of the potential for flooding in low-lying areas.
- Crouch with hands on knees.
- Avoid tall structures such as towers, tall trees, fences, telephone lines, or power lines
- Stay away from natural lightning rods such as golf clubs, tractors, fishing rods, bicycles, or camping equipment
- Stay away from rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water. If you are isolated in a level field or prairie and you feel your hair stand on end (which indicates that lightning is about to strike), bend forward, putting your hands on your knees. A position with feet together and crouching while removing all metal objects is recommended. Do not lie flat on the ground.
If caught in a car:
- Pull safely onto the shoulder of the road away from any trees that could fall on the vehicle. Stay in the car and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rains subside.
- Avoid flooded roadways.
- Drive only if necessary. Debris and washed-out roads may make driving dangerous.
WHAT TO DO WHEN LIGHTING STRIKES A PERSON?
Call emergency services, check the area is safe for you to enter and then check the person for injuries. A person who has been struck by lightning does not carry an electrical charge that can shock other people. If the victim is burned, provide first aid and call emergency medical assistance immediately. Look for burns where lightning entered and exited the body. Give care according to the person’s injuries and your level of training. Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance--infants, elderly, and people with disabilities.
Volcanoes
Volcanic eruptions can hurl hot rocks for at least 20 miles. Floods, airborne ash, or noxious fumes can spread 100 miles or more. Since we live near known active volcanoes, be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
PRECAUTIONS
Learn about your community warning systems. Be prepared for disasters that can be spawned by volcanoes such as earthquakes, flash floods, landslides and mudflows, thunderstorms and tsunamis.
Make evacuation plans. You want to get to high ground away from the eruption. Plan a route out and have a backup route in mind. Develop an emergency communication plan.
In case family members are separated from one another during a volcanic eruption (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), have a plan for getting back together. Ask an out-of-state or -country relative or friend to serve as the "family contact." After a disaster, it's often easier to call long distance. Make sure everyone knows the name, address, and phone number of the contact person.
Have disaster supplies on hand. Get a pair of goggles and a throw-away breathing mask for each member of the household.
WHAT CAUSES A TSUNAMI?
These awe-inspiring waves are typically caused by large, undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries. When the ocean floor at a plate boundary rises or falls suddenly, it displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves that will become a tsunami.
Most tsunamis–about 80 percent–happen within the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” a geologically active area where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.
Tsunamis may also be caused by underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions. They may even be launched, as they frequently were in Earth’s ancient past, by the impact of a large meteorite plunging into an ocean.
Tsunamis race across the sea at up to 500 miles (805 kilometers) an hour—about as fast as a jet airplane. At that pace, they can cross the entire expanse of the Pacific Ocean in less than a day. And their long wavelengths mean they lose very little energy along the way.
In deep ocean, tsunami waves may appear only a foot or so high. But as they approach shoreline and enter shallower water they slow down and begin to grow in energy and height. The tops of the waves move faster than their bottoms do, which causes them to rise precipitously.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT HITS LAND
A tsunami’s trough, the low point beneath the wave’s crest, often reaches shore first. When it does, it produces a vacuum effect that sucks coastal water seaward and exposes harbor and sea floors. This retreating of sea water is an important warning sign of a tsunami, because the wave’s crest and its enormous volume of water typically hit shore five minutes or so later.
A tsunami is usually composed of a series of waves, called a wave train, so its destructive force may be compounded as successive waves reach shore. People experiencing a tsunami should remember that the danger may not have passed with the first wave and should await an official all-clear.
Some tsunamis do not appear on shore as massive breaking waves but instead resemble a quickly surging tide that inundates coastal areas.
The best defense against any tsunami is early warning that allows people to seek higher ground. The Pacific Tsunami Warning System, a coalition of 26 nations headquartered in Hawaii, maintains a web of seismic equipment and water level gauges to identify tsunamis at sea. Similar systems are proposed to protect coastal areas worldwide.
Flooding:
Flooding is a temporary overflow of water onto land that is normally dry. Failing to evacuate flooded areas or entering flood waters can lead to injury or death.
If you are under a flood warning:
- Find safe shelter right away.
- Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around, Don’t Drown!
- Remember, just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.
- Stay off bridges over fast-moving water.
- Depending on the type of flooding:
- Evacuate if told to do so.
- Move to higher ground or a higher floor.
- Stay where you are.
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Landslides:
Landslides can be caused by many factors including earthquakes, storms, volcanic eruptions, fire and human modifications of land. The most dangerous, life-threatening and deadliest landslides are the ones that occur quickly, often with little notice.
Recognize Warning Signs:
Watch for debris flows and other fast-moving landslides that pose threats to life:
- If you are near a wildfire burn area, sign up for emergency alerts and pay attention to weather forecasts for the burn area.
- Listen and watch for rushing water, mud or unusual sounds.
- Unusual sounds such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together might indicate moving debris. A faint rumbling sound that increases in volume is noticeable as the landslide nears.
- Huge boulders in the landscape can be signs of past debris flows.
Watch for slow-moving landslides, or earthflows, that pose threats to property:
- Changes occur in your landscape such as patterns of storm-water drainage on slopes (especially the places where runoff water converges) land movement, small slides, flows, or progressively leaning trees.
- Doors or windows stick or jam for the first time.
- New cracks appear in plaster, tile, brick or foundations.
- Outside walls, walkways or stairs begin pulling away from the building.
- Slowly developing, widening cracks appear on the ground or on paved areas such as streets or driveways.
- Underground utility lines break.
- Bulging ground appears at the base of a slope.
- Water breaks through the ground surface in new locations.
- Fences, retaining walls, utility poles, or trees tilt or move.
- The ground slopes downward in one direction and may begin shifting in that direction under your feet.
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