Typhoons

Typhoons are hurricanes that occur in the Asian Pacific. They are to be respected. From July-October, keep an eye on the weather updates and if a typhoon is headed in your direction, take the necessary precautions.


Some useful sites include





http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Guide/uguide.html


http://www.wunderground.com/


www.usno.navy.mil/JTWC



Watch hourly because the little eye of the hurricane can switch directions quickly. If you are in the outer circles of the hurricane path, you should prepare for heavy rains but you will be out of the greatest danger. If you thing you are in the outer ranges, keep a close eye on the maps for any changes. There really is no excuse not to be prepared for a typhoon.


HOW TO PREPARE

• Cancel student meetings and appointments so as not to put others at risk who might feel obligated to keep their appointments.


• Secure outdoor belongings, including stuff on the balcony: put laundry poles down, take potted plants or hanging decorations indoors, tie down loose items or put them under a first floor balcony.


• Park your car in a public garage or in a sheltered area. Note: many of the metal "carports" cannot withstand a category 3 stormif the wind hits them at the right angle. Flying debris is even a greater hazard for parked cars.


• Doors and windows should be closed and shuttered during the storm.


• Taping windows is a waste of time, effort and tape. It does nothing to strengthen the window or reduce your damages. In addition, the sticky goo is difficult to remove and can permanently mark your windows. Note: If you want to do something to prevent shattered glass, there is a clear, heavy plastic ,adhesive film available in curtain/blinds section of the hardware store that you put cover the entire pane with. It is expensive but might give you peace of mind for a storm facing window.


• The most damage is from water and wind (not shattered glass) entering the room. Have spare towels and buckets on hand to minimize the damage.


• If reports are predicting anything stronger than a middle range category 2 storm, be sure to have some extra water bottles on hand, maybe even filling the bath so you have wash water. Have some snacks and emergency food as well. Check that your flashlight has batteries and your cell phone is charged. Note: Urban areas usually have power and water restored within a day. More rural areas can be left without any assistance for 4-5 days. If you are in a rural area as a teacher or guest, talk to your supervisor about emergency plans. Most people in small towns have generators and tools to deal with natural disasters.


• Charge your camera to document any damage for insurance purposes.


• Trim large branches and dead branches. If you can't, talk to your landlord. Ideally, this kind of work is done in the winter but if you have a tree hitting your wall, it will only be worse during a storm.

DURING THE STORM

• Never never never go out once a strong storm has started. Most deaths are caused by people trying to repair something during the storm or salvage their car or TV antenna. Nothing is worth getting clunked in the head. If a piece of tile the size of a 100-yen coin can shatter a sliding glass door and bend the aluminum frame, think what it could do to your face.


• Keep small pets and children away from the windows, preferably in the stairwell. I hid my baby in the futon closet when our windows were breaking! Second floor rooms of older (rental-type) houses are prone to blow off during a major storm, so stay downstairs unless there is flooding. Note: If you have valuables near a window, such as computers or photos, you might want to move them. Insurance and leases typically will not cover personal possessions.


• Catch leaks and drips. If you see streams of water pouring in from the ceiling or window panes, set a bucket or pan and towels in the vicinity to minimize damage. However, do not put yourself at any risk in doing so and do not try to hold doors or shutters against the wind.

AFTER THE STORM

• Check for damage, looking at the roof, windows and corners of the house. Take note of any trees that have been damaged. Photo document damage immediately, even if you are a renter. The landlord may be stretched thin trying to assess properties so it helps everyone to have documentation before clean-up begins.

• If your house has been damaged or the area surrounding you has sustained major damage, rule number one is to take care of yourself. Make sure you and your home are secure and safe before attending to others. Do not engage in "rescues" or activities (such as cutting fallen trees, moving damaged buildings, etc.) unless you have the training or equipment to safely do so, unless a human life is at risk and there is no option. Be especially careful for fallen electrical wires.

• Be patient and respect the authorities who arrive at the scene. Individual heroic efforts are not respected as they might be elsewhere.

GENERAL INFO ABOUT TYPHOONS





For winds:1 mile per hour = 0.869 international nautical mile per hour (knot)1 mile per hour = 1.609 kilometers per hour


1 mile per hour = 0.4470 meter per second


1 knot = 1.852 kilometers per hour


1 knot = 0.5144 meter per second1 meter per second = 3.6 kM per hour
For pressures:1 inch of mercury = 25.4 mm of mercury = 33.86 millibars = 33.86 hectoPascals http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A14.html





The strongest winds will be to the right of the direction the storm is moving (so if the storm is moving north, the strongest winds will be on the east). This helps you know which windows might be at greatest risk. Where I live, the most dangerous typhoons come in from the west, headed east, so our south side takes the brunt of it.





To better understand the news reports, standard pressure at sea level is 1013.25 mbar (hPa), 101.325 kPa by definition, with variances. Japanese news reports will indicates the pressure of the storm in kPA, the lower the number indicating the stronger storm.


A category 5 storm, the worst possible, measures less than 920 mB and winds of 250 km/h.


A category 3 is defined by sustained winds of 178–209 km/h and central pressure of 945–964 mbar. You can expect some structural damage, power lines down and trees down in category 3.


Category 2 storms will damage older roofs and lightly damage loose objects. Torrential rain and wind gusts are the culprits of the smaller storm systems. A good definition is found at wikipedia.