Okaya’s Evacuation Shelters and Evacuation Centers

02/15/2024 02/15/2024

国際交流センター

When a natural disaster strikes, it is crucial to understand the difference between an evacuation center (also called an evacuation area) and evacuation shelter in order to secure your safety or the safety of others. Both types of facilities are used for evacuating people when disasters strike, but there are significant differences in their purpose and what kind of services they provide.

Evacuation Centers [hinan basho/避難場所] are open spaces where you can temporarily go to protect yourself in the time immediately following an earthquake, tsunami, fire, etc. This includes places like parks and plazas/squares. These are places which are used during the initial stages of an emergency evacuation, and their main purpose is to protect people from direct danger.
Evacuation Shelters [hinanjo/避難所] are facilities which are a step-up in terms of protection from disasters. In cases of disasters like earthquakes and floods where people must evacuate for extended periods of time, schools and other shared facilities are opened up as shelters. These kinds of places are utilized for a fixed amount of time by evacuees as a place to live and carry out basic daily necessities until they can recover from the effects of the disaster.

In the event of a disaster just like the January 1, 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the roles of these evacuation centers and evacuation shelters become extremely important. If buildings and infrastructure collapse in the same way observed in Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures, people are urged to promptly move to the nearest safe evacuation center and/or evacuation shelter. In times of a natural disaster, it is vital to remain calm and to first evacuate to a safe place that you know is used as a place of evacuation. You can check where your local evacuation center and evacuation shelter is in Okaya City using the information below.

※ Designated Emergency Evacuation Shelters (as of January 10, 2023)