As the first anniversary of the eruption of Mt. Ontake (Gifu and Nagano Prefectures), in which 58 people were killed and five remain missing, draws near, the national government is poised to revise the Act on Special Measures Concerning Active Volcanoes before year’s end. The revised law will obligate municipalities home to active volcanoes and tourist facilities to draw up evacuation plans. Kyushu has nine active volcanoes under constant surveillance. When Mt. Aso erupted for the first time in 21 years on Sep. 14, Aso Town followed the procedures laid out in its Eruption Preparedness Manual, but the manual itself was only completed in early September. Now municipalities and tourist facilities will be required by law to draft similar manuals. While hazard maps are in place for all nine of Kyushu’s monitored volcanoes, only two volcanoes (Aso and Kirishima) have emergency wireless radio systems, and the number of evacuation shelters runs the gamut from none (three volcanoes) to 57 (Sakurajima). With the new law, the national government aims to improve disaster preparedness while striking a balance with tourism resource management, but the limited number of volcano experts has left some towns slow to adopt the necessary measures. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 9/25
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- In Kyushu, Some Volcano Towns Are More Prepared than Others