Natural Disaster

Overview

The following information is provided for TUJ's international students to address issues relating to a major emergency in the Tokyo area.

The Office of Student Services is responsible for administrative oversight for study abroad students, including locally admitted international students who study at TUJ long-term on a university sponsored visa. The university's OSS, in coordination with Temple University's Main Campus International Program Office, will provide support if a major emergency situation occurs.

Japan is a highly developed, affluent economy, with modernized infrastructure. The level of public safety, with an extensive network of local police in the koban system, also encourages a sense of security in daily life. Yet Japan is the most seismically active country in the world and the possibility of a major earthquake is a genuine concern that requires preparation. This emergency plan may also be applicable to a major natural disaster or terrorist attack.

Recommended Steps

In the case of an emergency situation, the following steps are recommended:

1. Assessment: In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, gather information to determine the nature of the problem. This may be obvious, but often the actual significance of the crisis may not be apparent; thus, confirm the level of threat or concern from more than one source.
2. Communication: Within two hours after a problem arises, contact your program director or a university representative. University staff will attempt to contact you, and you should allow them to do so, if possible. You should also attempt to communicate with your roommate, or if applicable, homestay family, as soon as possible.
   
   Within a day of the initial crisis, phone or email your parents or family to notify them of the situation. This is also necessary if the problem is less severe than imagined; from afar, family and friends may not know the specific situation in Tokyo, and will need to be assured that you are okay, even if there is no actual local threat.
3. Take Responsibility: Although university staff will make every effort to contact you and meet with you, in a major disaster the transportation system and communication networks (phone, internet) may not be available. As a result, you may need to take personal initiative to address the situation.
   
   If necessary, move to the nearest evacuation area and attempt to meet other students from the program who are staying in your housing facility. Because students are staying in various housing facilities, you should consider your classmates in the same housing to be peer group that will have common interests while facing similar issues. This network of support may be very helpful, especially in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, as the government is developing its response. You should meet with your roommate and others in your housing facility to make a plan and be clear on what you will do in the first few hours after an emergency arises.
4. Address Basic Needs: Well in advance of any problem, you should make contingency plans for having food, water, clothing and money to support yourself for as long as three days after a disaster would occur. We recommend that you make an "earthquake kit," a bag that has basic non-perishable provisions, and keep this in a place where you can access it at any time.
   
   Understand that the university may be closed and that public services may not be available for some time; thus, you will need to stay in the evacuation area for an extended period of time.
   
   University staff or representatives will come to meet you at the evacuation area closest to your housing as soon as this is possible. Keep in mind that this is all dependent on the availability of transportation and access to the area. Because this is entirely dependent on the scale of the problem, the most important thing is to be in communication with each other, and also with university staff. They will call you, you should call them.
   
   In the case of a major disaster, do not travel outside the immediate area of your housing or evacuation area unless absolutely necessary. You cannot be found in a random locale; university staff will attempt to make contact with you at the evacuation area or at your housing facility.
5. Confirm Details: Most importantly, make no assumptions about what services may be available or what others may do in a chaotic situation. As you move from one locale to another, communicate your intentions and location to others. Provide simple, detailed information that others may use to help you. It is essential to both communicate expectations and to confirm when and how procedures will be taken to address the problem. Write it down; leave a note.

Additional Recommendations & Information

The embassy for your home country may be a network of support, and will be especially important should it be necessary to evacuate. You may register your contact information with your embassy. Consult their respective websites for additional information.

Phones and E-mail: Even if the communication networks are on-line, the volume of calls following an emergency may overwhelm the system, making it temporarily unavailable. In such a case, you may be able to text message on your phone, even if you cannot call. Your regular PC based e-mail may also be available if the phone system is down.

Financial Considerations: In a catastrophic emergency, the banking system may not be available for an extended period. You may consider carrying additional money, and especially have coin money available in your emergency contingency kit to use vending machines and to make phone calls on land-lines.

The university is a portal for communication, not an emergency center. The university's Information Center will have important information and can serve as a conduit for conveying information to others, so please contact the university during an emergency. However, the university has no beds, no kitchen, and few facilities that would be of immediate benefit, and unless an emergency occurs while classes are in session, practically no one will be at the school. Thus, you should consider your housing facility to be your primary base for the first couple of days after a disaster.