4. Japan Meteorological Agency’s Bulletin Predicts Torrential Rain
Speaking on behalf of the Japan Meteorological Agency, Noriko Kamaya underscored the importance of leveraging disaster-prevention weather information. The Agency’s history includes about 150 years of weather-station observation and some 70 years of weather-radar usage.
Although weather cannot be predicted with 100% certainty, the Meteorological Agency’s dispatches are an important source of weather information. An excellent example of that is the Agency’s prediction of the torrential rainfall in Toyokawa, as described by Director Komori.
“Both heavy rain and flood warnings were issued in advance of the June 2 deluge. Furthermore, on May 30, three days before the heavy rainfall, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an early warning indicating the possibility of warning-grade rainfall,” Ms. Kamaya reported. She further emphasized the importance of grasping the heightened danger level announced on the agency’s website and responding quickly.
For example, the Meteorological Agency provides an online risk map titled Kikikuru (loosely translated as “encroaching crisis”), which predicts the risk of a disaster from heavy rain. Updated every 10 minutes, the map ranks real-time flood damage risk into five color-coded levels. Kikikuru, accessible on computers and smartphones, forecasts three types of disaster: landslide, inundation, and flooding.
