Kirk here with a little footnote regarding an issue that really bothered me as the recent typhoon approached: giving people (especially foreigners) the impression that EVERYONE was required to evacuate (go to a shelter) when, if fact, that wasn’t the official policy. I was mainly concerned about how such messages might waste people’s time (cause them to spend unproductive time in a shelter unnecessarily) or lead to a “boy crying wolf” effect (it’s just a** covering on the part of the officials – ignore them). This newspaper article (Asahi) from the Monday the 19th made me realize that another issue was involved. In Miyazaki City (which was under greater threat and sustained more damage than Kumamoto City) many shelters filled up completely. The article says that some people who would have preferred to be in a shelter had to remain at home. So, giving people who don’t need to evacuate the impression that they are required to do so may lead to centers filling up and preventing people who really need a place to shelter from doing so. This is just one more reason why NHK WORLD-Japan’s clear but factually incorrect “Lever 4 means every must evacuate” explanation needs to be corrected. Actually, I have an acquaintance at NHK WORLD-Japan and am planning to put my argument together in a tight package eventually and present it to him. I’m not sure but perhaps I can get them to make some adjustments in how they explain this stuff.