When people say “flee to the shelter,” most are conflating two different things. Legally, an “evacuation site” and an “evacuation shelter” are separate things. Not knowing this difference and fleeing anyway can mean heading somewhere that won’t protect your life.
Why they were separated — a lesson from the Great East Japan Earthquake
The Cabinet Office’s White Paper on Disaster Management explains how this distinction came to be:
In the Great East Japan Earthquake, “evacuation sites” and “evacuation shelters” were not clearly distinguished, and there was no designation by disaster type, which contributed to greater damage. In response to this lesson, the Basic Act on Disaster Countermeasures was amended in June 2013, establishing “designated emergency evacuation sites” and “designated evacuation shelters” as two separate systems.
In other words, this distinction isn’t bureaucratic wordplay — it came out of the reflection on people who actually lost their lives.
The two, and how they differ
Designated emergency evacuation site — where you flee right now, to protect your life
The Cabinet Office’s definition:
A destination for residents to evacuate to urgently when danger from a tsunami, flood, or similar hazard is imminent, with the purpose of securing residents’ lives and safety.
Naha City describes it as “an evacuation site that can ensure a certain level of safety in any disaster, including earthquakes and tsunamis,” and Tomigusuku City as “the place to evacuate to first, to protect your life from an approaching disaster.”
What matters most is that these are designated by type of disaster. The mayor of each municipality designates locations suited to specific disaster types (tsunami, flood, landslide, earthquake, fire, and so on).
In other words, a location can be “safe for a flood, but dangerous for a tsunami.” Always check the hazard map for whether a site is designated for the specific disaster type you’re facing. If you remember only “my nearby evacuation site” as one single place, you risk heading somewhere dangerous when it’s actually a tsunami.
Designated evacuation shelter — where you stay for a while, once the danger has passed
The Cabinet Office’s definition:
A facility intended to house, for as long as necessary, residents who evacuated because of disaster danger until that danger has passed, or to temporarily house residents who can no longer return home because of the disaster.
Tomigusuku City describes it as “a place where residents who lost their homes to a disaster live an evacuation life for a certain period,” and states that the city opens it after confirming the facility’s safety.
This is the crucial point. A designated evacuation shelter is not somewhere you run to the moment the ground stops shaking. It is opened only after a safety check, and it is not designed as a place to flee a tsunami.
Welfare shelters
Tomigusuku City describes a welfare shelter as “a facility with the equipment needed for people for whom staying at a designated evacuation shelter would be difficult.” The city opens it after confirming both safety and capacity to receive people. If you have a family member who needs extra support, it’s worth consulting your municipality ahead of time, during ordinary daily life.
Tsunami evacuation buildings — a last resort, not the first choice
Coastal areas of Okinawa designate “tsunami evacuation buildings.” This is the point most often misunderstood.
Okinawa City defines a tsunami evacuation building this way:
A building for urgent, temporary evacuation as a last resort when evacuation to high ground has become difficult, such as when a Tsunami Warning or Major Tsunami Warning has been issued and an evacuation instruction given.
Tomigusuku City similarly describes it as “a tall, sturdy building where you can evacuate, in areas where it’s difficult to reach high ground before the tsunami arrives.” In Naha City it’s called a “tsunami emergency temporary evacuation facility,” and is described as a private-sector facility with which the city has signed an agreement.
The cautions Okinawa City lists are worth remembering as they are:
- Evacuating quickly to high ground is the basic principle — a tsunami evacuation building is not mandatory
- Do not use one under a “Tsunami Advisory”
- Know several evacuation buildings in advance, as a matter of routine
- Because it’s a temporary evacuation point, move to a designated evacuation shelter once the danger has passed
Don’t reverse the order in “fleeing to high ground is the rule; a tsunami evacuation building is the fallback for when that isn’t possible in time.”
Also, what’s designated is mainly private-sector facilities (per Okinawa City). That’s exactly why Okinawa City stresses confirming evacuation locations in advance with your family or neighborhood disaster-prevention group, during ordinary times. Keep in mind, too, that they may not always be open at night or on holidays.
What to do today
Once you’ve checked your home’s elevation and flood risk in the previous article, do this next.
- Check your municipality’s hazard map for the designated emergency evacuation site by disaster type (especially: which sites can be used for a tsunami)
- Actually walk the route there on foot (imagine doing it at night, in the rain, in traffic. As mentioned in the island article (Japanese only), if everyone tries to flee by car at once, the roads stop moving)
- Check the same for your workplace, your children’s school, and coastal spots you visit often
- Know more than one tsunami evacuation building (if you only know one, you’re stuck if it’s closed)
- Share this with your family. Assume you may be in separate places when disaster strikes, and decide on a place to meet up in advance
Evacuation site information is published on your municipality’s disaster-prevention page. You can also reach it from the evacuation information section of the Emergency Links page.
What this article does not cover
This site does not cover whether an evacuation instruction is currently in effect, or whether shelters are currently open. Always check official up-to-date information. Whether to actually evacuate is a decision to make based on JMA’s warnings and the evacuation information issued by your municipality. When in doubt, act on the side of safety.