| Publication date | January 16, 2019 |
|---|---|
| Sector | Natural Disasters and Coastal Areas |
| Region name | Tohoku（Yamagata Prefecture） |
Over the past several years, there have been many instances of localized, sudden downpours, followed by river overflows which have caused devastating floods. In the upper reaches of the Mogami River, in Yamagata Prefecture, better procedures for providing information in real time have been established that will allow for faster evacuation procedures.
In order to ensure that evacuation information is communicated from upriver of the Mogami, there is a "double hotline" (Figs. 1 and 2) that uses telephone and e-mail. In this system, when serious flood damage is expected, local authorities downriver are contacted by phone about the impending situation and flood forecasts by the Yamagata Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (hereinafter referred to as the “Office”) which manages the river. At the same time, the person in charge of the Office also sends a flood forecast e-mail to the mobile phones of municipal government heads and staff (Fig. 2).
If damage is expected to affect multiple municipalities at the same time, communication by telephone to each municipality separately may delay communication. However, e-mail hotlines allow multiple local authorities to be contacted at once, which helps prevent information being misconstrued by being passed on second-hand, and calls or handwritten messages being missed. In addition, the hotline can provide provisional figures based on observation until the Office can send more complete data (images, maps etc.). In this way, information can be provided quickly and reliably by duplicating the hotline with e-mail and telephone communication.
Fig. 1 Flood Forecasting and Hotline
(Source: Yamagata Office of Rivers and National Highways: "Upper Mogami River Water Hazard Awareness Strategy Revision H29.1 Edition")
