Japan is one of the countries with many natural disasters. We have been hit by typhoons, earthquakes and other natural disasters, and in 2021, a mudslide occurred in Shizuoka Prefecture. Although we may not be able to prevent sudden disasters, it is important to be aware of disaster prevention and to have knowledge on how to prevent disasters.

One of the easiest and most recommended ways to prevent disasters is to have a disaster prevention app on your phone. For those of us who can’t stay away from our phones, this is a great way to get disaster information quickly. Warnings and directions from disaster prevention apps can alert and prepare you in advance, such as avoiding areas with severe natural disasters or getting help from outside.
In this article, I would like to introduce some useful apps and services for disaster preparedness apps.

「Yahoo!防災速報」/ Yahoo!　Disaster Prevention Quick Report

• Can be set to your current location and up to three domestic locations
• Supports a variety of information such as Earthquake Early Warning
• Quickly find out what disaster prevention information is currently being released

You can receive notifications for the following 14 types of disaster information.

“Evacuation information, earthquake early warning and earthquake information, tsunami forecast
“Heavy Rainfall Danger Level, Heavy Rain Forecast, Landslide Disaster Information
“River Flood Information, Weather Warnings, Heat Stroke Information
“Volcano Information, Civil Protection Information, Crime Prevention Information
“Emergency information from local governments, and information on abnormalities.

Earthquake notifications can be limited to “seismic intensity 3 or higher,” “seismic intensity 4 or higher,” and “seismic intensity 5 or lower. In addition, more detailed settings are available, such as notification volume, silent mode, no notification at certain times of the day, and notification by region.

Official Website：Yahoo!防災速報

「NHKニュース・防災」/ NHK News & Disaster Prevention

• Check disaster and weather information on a map
• Check the weather forecast you are interested in
• Disaster and evacuation information for each area
• Various news and breaking news

As the official app of NHK, it has more information than any other app, including NHK disaster reports as well as local information from each local station in Japan.

With this app, you can get the latest news and disaster information from NHK and see that information on a map. By watching NHK’s videos and live broadcasts, you can quickly check the status of a disaster, get effective information, and know exactly what you need to do and even evacuate.

The app is also ideal for watching daily news such as political and economic news when there is no disaster, so you can use it anytime.

Official Website：NHKニュース・防災アプリ

特務機関NERV防災( ゲヒルン)/ NERV Disaster Prevention Agency (Gehirn)

• A variety of disaster prevention information in a single app
• Provide the most suitable disaster prevention information to users
• Push notifications of important information
• Barrier-free design

The NERV Disaster Prevention App is a smartphone service that delivers earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption and special warning bulletins, as well as disaster prevention weather information such as floods and landslides, optimized based on the user’s current location and registered points. The service was developed to help people living in or visiting areas where damage is expected to occur to accurately recognize the situation and make quick decisions and actions.

Disaster prevention weather information is received directly from a leased line connected to the Meteorological Service Support Center (in the main building of the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Osaka Regional Meteorological Observatory) to ensure the reliability of the information, and our proprietary technology enables the fastest information distribution in Japan.

Source: NERV Disaster Prevention Official Website

This app is very easy to use for the visually impaired. The yellow and black design and color scheme are very easy to read, and there is a read-out function for the visually impaired.
Incidentally, the name of the app is derived from the organization “NERV,” which appears in the popular anime “Neon Genesis EVANGELION”.

Official Website：特務機関NERV防災

「goo防災アプリ」/ goo Disaster Prevention APP

• Disaster simulation in advance
• Push notifications of disaster information
• Provision of disaster countermeasure contents
• Safety information registration to SNS

Unlike other apps, you can not only receive disaster information, but also register on the J-anpi website to confirm your safety in the event of a disaster, easily send your own safety report via SNS, and confirm the safety of your family members.

Just check the canned messages you have entered in advance, and the app will automatically send you emails even in places where the Internet is not available.

Official Website：goo防災アプリ

「防災情報 全国避難所ガイド」/ Disaster Prevention Information: National Evacuation Shelter Guide

• Push notifications of “disaster prevention information” linked to your current location
• Disaster prevention information such as evacuation advisories, national protection information, weather warnings, and earthquake information
• Safety registration and safety confirmation functions

This app can display evacuation centers located all over Japan. After checking the disaster information, you may need to evacuate. This app is linked to GPS and displays nearby evacuation sites on a map, providing distances and images of the evacuation sites. You don’t need to be connected to the Internet to use it, so finding an evacuation site is easy, even in unfamiliar places.

It also has a safety confirmation function. By registering your information in advance, it can be sent automatically in the event of a disaster.

Official Website：防災情報 全国避難所ガイド