HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

March 15, 2011. Government Warning Issued for Japan

SOURCE: U.S. Department of State

U.S. Embassy Tokyo released the following Warden Message on March 14, 2011:

This warden message is being issued by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to U.S. citizens in Japan to provide prefectural office telephone numbers, information regarding rolling blackouts in Tokyo, and other information.

For information regarding tsunami warnings issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency, please see the JMA website: http://www.jma.go.jp/en or http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/

TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) announced that rolling blackouts in parts of Tokyo and the following 8 prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Shizuoka and Yamanashi will commence Monday morning, March 14. The wards affected are Taito, Suginami, Shinagawa, Meguro, Ota, Setagaya, Toshima, Kita, Arakawa, Itabashi, Nerima, Adachi, and Katsushika. All of Tokyo's 26 cities and Tama-gun are also affected. Neighboring areas may experience partial blackouts as well. TEPCO has a website in Japanese listing the schedule for blackouts: http://www.tepco.co.jp/index-j.html. Information in English about the rolling blackouts is available at http://yokosonews.com/news/kanto-rolling-blackout-march-14/

The Japanese government is asking the public to reduce the amount of electric power usage as much as possible and not to go out unless necessary. TEPCO advises residents in the Kanto area (comprising the seven prefectures of Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa) to avoid traveling, to conserve electricity as much as possible even outside of the Kanto area, and to avoid driving because traffic signals may be out.

Due to the blackouts, trains and subways in Tokyo are cutting back on their service. Availability varies by train and subway lines. Reduced service will impact commuters during rush hour as well as throughout the day and night. Information is available on local TV and the website for each subway and train company. For more information in English about train schedules, please see http://yokosonews.com/news/kanto-rolling-blackout-march-14/.

Flights are departing with some delays from Narita and Haneda airports in the Tokyo area. If you are flying from Tokyo, please contact your airline.

For information in Japanese about missing persons:

Miyagi Prefecture: 022-221-2000

Iwate Prefecture: 0120-801-471

Fukushima Prefecture: 0120-510-186 or 090-8424-4207 or 090-8424-4208

We encourage you to try to contact your family and friends. Possible ways to inform your family of your situation:

1. While we understand that there have been disruptions in communications in Japan, including the interruption of internet and mobile telephone service, we encourage you to continue your efforts to be in contact with your loved one(s) using SMS texting and other social media (e.g., FaceBook, My Space, Twitter, etc) that your loved one(s) may use.

Other possible ways to inform your family of your situation:

2. Google

Google has created the site, "Google Person Finder".

http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en

If you are in Japan, you can post messages about you whereabouts. A person looking for you can type in your name to find out if you are safe. Similarly, your family or friends may have posted a message that they are looking for you.

3. Cell Phone Messages

If you have a cell phone in Japan, you can post messages via your cell phone provider. Family and friends who know your cell phone company can check the cell phone company's website below and type in your phone number to see any message you have left. The available areas are Aomori, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures.

For Docomo users: http://dengon.docomo.ne.jp/top.cgi

For KDDI (Ezweb) users: http://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/

For Softbank users: http://dengon.softbank.ne.jp/

For Wilcom users: http://dengon.willcom-inc.com/dengon/Top.do

For Emobile users: http://dengon.emnet.ne.jp/

NTT emergency voice message board: Dial 171. View message board at https://www.web171.jp

4. Family Links website of the International Committee of the Red Cross:

This website provides a way for you to inform your relatives that you are alive. Your relatives can look for your name.

http://www.icrc.org/FAMILYLINKS or

http://www.icrc.org/Web/doc/siterfl0.nsf/htmlall/familylinks-japon-eng

5. Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake (English)

http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en

U.S. citizens in need of emergency consular assistance should send an e-mail to JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov with detailed information about their location and contact information. We also recommend U.S. citizens in Japan make contact with loved ones in the United States.