September 1 is Disaster Prevention Day.
When we looked at the FAQ page for Nishinomiya City Hall’s disaster prevention speakers, they were doing their best to answer residents’ pointed questions.
Here are the questions from residents↓
Do disaster prevention speakers stop working during a power outage?
Could the disaster prevention speakers in parks and other places fall over in a disaster?
Is regular broadcasting really necessary?
It’s not just hard to hear. I can’t hear it at all.
The broadcasts are too loud.
I think the broadcast voice should be a male (female) voice.
The disaster prevention speaker announcements are too slow and don’t sound urgent.Disaster Prevention Speakers｜Nishinomiya City website
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People have all kinds of concerns, especially since it’s about disaster prevention
Among the questions, residents expressed concerns like, “Won’t they stop working if there’s a power outage?” and “Won’t they fall over in a disaster?” Since these are for disaster prevention, people are understandably worried.
Regarding power outages, the city says that the disaster prevention speakers appear to have built-in batteries and can last for 24 hours.
As for the question of whether they might fall over, the city gives a very careful answer: they are installed sturdily, but they could possibly fall if struck by something large during a tsunami or typhoon.
It’s not just hard to hear. I can’t hear it at all.
The way the question “It’s not just hard to hear. I can’t hear it at all.” was phrased was kind of funny, but it’s also a serious issue.
These days, some windows, including double-glazed ones, are so good at blocking noise that if they’re closed, outside sounds can be almost completely shut out.
The city’s answer is: please use TV or radio.
TV won’t work during a power outage, so we recommend the disaster prevention radio sold at a low price by Nishinomiya City, which turns on automatically in emergencies.
When are broadcasts made?
The page also explains when the disaster prevention speakers are used for broadcasts.
- When an earthquake expected to cause shaking of seismic intensity 4 or higher is detected
- When an earthquake of seismic intensity 4 or higher occurs
- When a tsunami advisory, tsunami warning, or major tsunami warning is issued
(Tsunami advisories are for coastal areas only)- When preparation for evacuation/evacuation of the elderly and others, an evacuation advisory, or an evacuation order (emergency) is issued
- When there is a possibility of an armed attack situation
- When the city has something it especially needs to inform residents about
Finally
There were all kinds of other opinions too, like that most of the voices are male or that the speaking is too slow. It really seems to show how aware everyone is when it comes to disaster prevention. If you’d like to see the city’s answers, take a look at the Nishinomiya City Hall page.
For information on what the broadcasts sound like, see here.
