Typhoon season begins

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zade C. Vadnais
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  On June 1, Kadena entered Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness 4, the default condition of readiness during typhoon season, which will last until November 30.
Island residents experienced TCCOR 5 for the first time earlier this year, but this level of readiness is only used during the typhoon off-season.

Okinawa sits in the Pacific region's "Typhoon Alley," an area in which typhoons are likely to form under appropriate conditions. An average season will see as many as 26 storms, although typically less than five will pass close enough to Okinawa to affect island residents.

Typhoons are formed when warm surface water from the Pacific Ocean combines with the high humidity and low, cool winds in the region. They usually form near Guam before heading toward Okinawa and on to mainland Japan.

Fortunately, buildings on Okinawa are built with typhoons in mind, so residents who stay indoors during storms should be relatively safe. Also, the 18th Operations Support Squadron weather flight monitors tropical storms and keeps the public informed with up-to-date information.

"We receive information from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center and send it out to leadership for distribution," said Staff Sgt. Hailey Thompson, 18th OSS weather technician. "We also put the information on the Shogun Weather website."

The information is posted as a small map showing the storm's projected path and timeline, maximum winds predicted to hit Okinawa and information on expected rainfall. Storm warnings and current TCCOR conditions are also broadcast on Wave 89.1 and American Forces Network television channels.

Although the weather flight makes recommendations, the wing commander is the TCCOR authority for the entire island and has the final say when it comes to changing the readiness condition. As the likelihood of a storm passing by Okinawa increases, the 18th Wing commander will call a strike meeting at which the weather flight will present the most up-to-date information available and either recommend or advise against a TCCOR change.

Staff Sgt. Matthew McNutt, 18th Civil Engineering Squadron emergency management operations craftsman, advises residents to prepare a survival kit with enough non-perishable food for at least three days, a flashlight with spare batteries, a gallon of water per person per day and other emergency supplies.

The kit should be assembled well before a typhoon is headed toward Okinawa in order to avoid the stress of fighting commissary lines or potentially enduring a typhoon without necessary supplies.

There is also a free app for iOS and Android devices called "Air Force Be Ready." The app has key phone numbers, websites, current threats and emergency checklists to ensure Airmen and their families are prepared for any emergency including thunderstorms, major accidents, tsunamis, floods and typhoons.

In addition to preparing a survival kit, McNutt advises residents to prepare and rehearse a disaster plan. All family members should know the plan in case there is an emergency while a parent or spouse is on a temporary duty assignment.

When a typhoon is imminent, residents are advised to fill bathtubs with water, secure outdoor objects such as flower pots and barbeque grills, lock all windows and sandbag exterior doors, turn off non-essential electrical appliances and turn refrigerators and freezers to their highest setting.

"The biggest mistake people make is waiting until the last minute," McNutt said. "Be proactive, have a kit prepared before there's even a chance of a typhoon and have it set aside in the event of an emergency."

For more information, check out Kadena's Typhoon Fact Sheet at http://www.kadena.af.mil/library/typhoons/index.asp.