Latest news with #Ofunato-based
Yomiuri Shimbun
14-06-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Retired Firefighter in Ofunato to Establish Disaster Management Education Company; Hopes to Make Ordinary People More Prepared for Fires, Earthquakes
The Yomiuri Shimbun Yoshihiro Chiba talks about his desire to tell people about his experiences as a firefighter in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture. OFUNATO, Iwate — Yoshihiro Chiba, 50, who recently retired from a job as a firefighter in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, now intends to establish a company in the city to educate the public on preventing and minimizing disaster damage by mid-June. He retired from the Ofunato Fire Department in March, having previously led operations to fight large-scale wildfires which hit the mountainous region surrounding the city. As a former firefighter who experienced the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the recent wildfires, he aims to teach citizens and companies how to stay safe when disaster strikes, boosting their ability to help both themselves and others. 'I want to increase the number of people whose lives can be saved when future disasters happen, even if only by one,' he said. His new, Ofunato-based company is to be called Survival Rescue Japan. In the fire department, he served as a fire lieutenant and emergency medical technician. He plans to hold lectures about disaster prevention upon request from companies and volunteer disaster prevention organizations. Through his lectures, as well as practical training, he will teach people about how to protect their own lives at the time of a disaster. He emphatically said, 'A key point is how quickly residents are able to notice danger and act accordingly.' In the recent mountain wildfires, he was reminded of how difficult it is to 'predict what will happen next.' At that time he was working in the fire department's dispatch office. On Feb. 26, a day when he was off duty, he learned from a public disaster alert that a wildfire had broken out, and he rushed to the fire department's head office. There he took reports from firefighters who were on the scene and arranged them, including firefighters dispatched from other fire departments, into position. Over the next few days, as the wildfires continued to spread, he monitored maps daily and continued to debate whether to expand the area from which residents were instructed to evacuate. Even before the wildfires, Chiba was considering establishing a company like his new one. He took part in search and rescue missions following the earthquake disaster 14 years ago. He regrets that 'The number of people whom I could not save was larger than the number I could.' It was when the physical reconstruction after the earthquake had reached a stopping point that he became set on establishing his company. 'While I'm working on community revitalization, I also need to share my own experiences with others,' he thought. In March this year, after the wildfires were extinguished, he retired from the fire department and went to Los Angeles in the United States, which had similarly been hit by wildfires in January, to learn about conditions there. The Ofunato Fire Department had accepted firefighters from Los Angeles as helpers just after the earthquake occurred, so he also decided to visit a local fire department there. When he listened to the American firefighters talk about their experiences fighting the wildfires, he noticed that their gear and equipment were very different from those of their Japanese counterparts. When firefighters went into the mountains surrounding Ofunato to fight the wildfires there, they wore helmets and fireproof clothing of the same kind as they would put on to go into a burning building, which drained a lot of their energy. In contrast, the fire department in Los Angeles used thin fireproof clothing made of flame-resistant material. The gear and equipment were tailored to individuals, accommodating each person's physical condition and making it easier for them to move around. Chiba is looking into using his company to import this kind of practical firefighting equipment from other countries. On June 20, Chiba is scheduled to host a gathering of local firefighters at Ofunaport, the city's center for disaster prevention, tourism and exchange. At the gathering, participants will discuss what disaster prevention measures to take in Ofunato going forward, following the city being struck in short succession by both an earthquake disaster and mountain wildfires. 'I want to expand my circle little by little and tell people all over the nation about disaster-prevention efforts that originate in Ofunato,' he said.
Voice of America
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Voice of America
Japan's worst wildfire in half a century spreads
Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan's worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents. White smoke billowed from a forested area around the northern city of Ofunato, aerial TV footage showed, five days after the blaze began after record-low rainfall. The fire also follows Japan's hottest summer on record last year, as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide. As of Tuesday morning, the wildfire had engulfed around 2,600 hectares, the fire and disaster management agency said -- over seven times the area of New York's Central Park. That makes it Japan's largest wildfire since 1975 when 2,700 hectares burnt in Kushiro on northern Hokkaido island. It is estimated to have damaged at least 80 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said. Military and fire department helicopters are trying to douse the Ofunato fire, a city official told reporters. "At the moment, there is no indication that the fire is under control," the official said. Snow is expected overnight, changing to rain, but the official said he could not say whether it would help extinguish the blaze. "The poor weather may prevent helicopters from dropping water," he warned. Around 2,000 firefighters -- most deployed from other parts of the country, including Tokyo -- are working from the air and ground in the area in Iwate region, which was hard-hit by a deadly tsunami in 2011. An evacuation advisory has been issued to around 4,600 people, of whom 3,939 have left their homes to seek shelter, according to the municipality. The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since its 1970s peak, but the country saw about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in February to April when the air dries and winds pick up. 'No rain' Ofunato had just 2.5 millimeters of rainfall in February -- breaking the previous record-low for the month, of 4.4 millimeters in 1967, and below the usual average of 41 millimeters. Since Friday, "there has been no rain -- or very little, if any" in Ofunato, a local weather agency official told AFP. Some types of extreme weather have a well-established link with climate change, such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall. Other phenomena like droughts, snowstorms, tropical storms and forest fires can result from a combination of complex factors. Some companies have been affected by the wildfire, such as Taiheiyo Cement, which told AFP its Ofunato plant has suspended operations for several days because part of its premises is in the evacuation advisory zone. Ofunato-based confectionery company Saitoseika warned that "if our headquarters or plants become a no-go zone, we may need to halt production," describing the situation as "tense." Japanese baseball prodigy Roki Sasaki -- who recently joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in the U.S. -- has offered a $67,000 donation and 500 sets of bedding, Ofunato city's official account posted on X. Sasaki was a high school student there, after losing his father and grandparents in the huge 2011 tsunami.
Asharq Al-Awsat
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Japan's Worst Wildfire in Half a Century Spreads
Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan's worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents. White smoke billowed from a forested area around the northern city of Ofunato, aerial TV footage showed, five days after the blaze began after record low rainfall. The fire also follows Japan's hottest summer on record last year, as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide. As of Tuesday morning, the wildfire had engulfed around 2,600 hectares (6,400 acres), the fire and disaster management agency said -- over seven times the area of New York's Central Park. That makes it Japan's largest wildfire since 1975 when 2,700 hectares burnt in Kushiro on northern Hokkaido island. It is estimated to have damaged at least 80 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said. Military and fire department helicopters are trying to douse the Ofunato fire, but it is still spreading, a city official told reporters. "There is little concern that the fire will reach the (more densely populated) city area," the official said, adding that authorities were "doing our best" to put it out. Around 2,000 firefighters -- most deployed from other parts of the country, including Tokyo -- are working from the air and ground in the area in Iwate region, which was hard-hit by a deadly tsunami in 2011. An evacuation advisory has been issued to around 4,600 people, of whom 3,939 have left their homes to seek shelter, according to the municipality. The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since its 1970s peak, but the country saw about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in February to April when the air dries and winds pick up. 'No rain' Ofunato had just 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) of rainfall in February -- breaking the previous record low for the month of 4.4 millimeters in 1967 and below the usual average of 41 millimeters. Since Friday, "there has been no rain -- or very little, if any" in Ofunato, a local weather agency official told AFP. But "on Wednesday it may rain or snow", he said. Some types of extreme weather have a well established link with climate change, such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall. Some companies have been affected by the wildfire, such as Taiheiyo Cement, which told AFP its Ofunato plant has suspended operations for several days because part of its premises is in the evacuation advisory zone. Ofunato-based confectionery company Saitoseika warned that "if our headquarters or plants become a no-go zone, we may need to halt production", describing the situation as "tense". Japanese baseball prodigy Roki Sasaki -- who recently joined the Los Angeles Dodgers -- has offered a 10 million yen ($67,000) donation and 500 sets of bedding, Ofunato city's official account posted on X. Sasaki was a high school student there, after losing his father and grandparents in the huge 2011 tsunami.
Arab News
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Japan's worst wildfire in half a century spreads
Tokyo: Firefighters were Tuesday battling Japan's worst wildfire in half a century, which has left one dead and forced the evacuation of nearly 4,000 local residents. White smoke billowed from a forested area around the northern city of Ofunato, aerial TV footage showed, five days after the blaze began after record low rainfall. The fire also follows Japan's hottest summer on record last year, as climate change pushes up temperatures worldwide. As of Tuesday morning, the wildfire had engulfed around 2,600 hectares (6,400 acres), the fire and disaster management agency said — over seven times the area of New York's Central Park. That makes it Japan's largest wildfire since 1975 when 2,700 hectares burnt in Kushiro on northern Hokkaido island. It is estimated to have damaged at least 80 buildings by Sunday, although details were still being assessed, the agency said. Military and fire department helicopters are trying to douse the Ofunato fire, but it is still spreading, a city official told reporters. 'There is little concern that the fire will reach the (more densely populated) city area,' the official said, adding that authorities were 'doing our best' to put it out. Around 2,000 firefighters — most deployed from other parts of the country, including Tokyo — are working from the air and ground in the area in Iwate region, which was hard-hit by a deadly tsunami in 2011. An evacuation advisory has been issued to around 4,600 people, of whom 3,939 have left their homes to seek shelter, according to the municipality. The number of wildfires in Japan has declined since its 1970s peak, but the country saw about 1,300 in 2023, concentrated in February to April when the air dries and winds pick up. Ofunato had just 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inches) of rainfall in February — breaking the previous record low for the month of 4.4 millimeters in 1967 and below the usual average of 41 millimeters. Since Friday, 'there has been no rain — or very little, if any' in Ofunato, a local weather agency official told AFP. But 'on Wednesday it may rain or snow,' he said. Some types of extreme weather have a well established link with climate change, such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall. Other phenomena like droughts, snowstorms, tropical storms and forest fires can result from a combination of complex factors. Some companies have been affected by the wildfire, such as Taiheiyo Cement, which told AFP its Ofunato plant has suspended operations for several days because part of its premises is in the evacuation advisory zone. Ofunato-based confectionery company Saitoseika warned that 'if our headquarters or plants become a no-go zone, we may need to halt production,' describing the situation as 'tense.' Japanese baseball prodigy Roki Sasaki — who recently joined the Los Angeles Dodgers — has offered a 10 million yen ($67,000) donation and 500 sets of bedding, Ofunato city's official account posted on X. Sasaki was a high school student there, after losing his father and grandparents in the huge 2011 tsunami.
