Typhoons, heavy rain and earthquakes in Fukuoka City: alerts, evacuation sites and help in your language

This page is general information from official sources. It is not emergency instructions for your own situation. When a disaster is coming, follow Fukuoka City’s evacuation information, and ask your ward office if you are not sure what to do.

The Fukuoka City International Foundation says floods can happen in the rainy season of June and July, and storms in the typhoon season in summer and autumn. When a disaster comes, most announcements are in Japanese, so it helps to set things up before then. This page shows how the warning levels work, where to check alerts and open shelters in Fukuoka City, how to get disaster information in English and other languages, where to ask for help in your language, and what to do about damage to your home afterwards.

Need	Where to look	Language
Open shelters	City emergency page	Japanese
Risk at home	Hazard maps	Map in Japanese; flood maps in English
Alerts	Safety tips, city e-mail and LINE	Safety tips: 15 languages
Questions	Disaster Information Center	Many languages, during a disaster

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1. What do the warning levels mean?

1.1 Warnings from the Japan Meteorological Agency

Official rule (Japan)

Since May 29, 2026, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has put a level number in the name of its warnings for heavy rain, floods, landslides and storm surges. In JMA’s English, they are Level 2 Advisory (注意報), Level 3 Warning (警報), Level 4 Urgent Warning (危険警報) and Level 5 Emergency Warning (特別警報). A higher number means more danger.

JMA says the city uses these warnings to decide its own evacuation information, and that JMA’s warnings often come first. When a Level 4 warning is out and you are in a dangerous place, JMA asks you to decide to evacuate yourself, even if the city has not issued an order yet.

1.2 Evacuation information from Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City issues three kinds of evacuation information:

• Level 3 Evacuation for the Elderly and Others (高齢者等避難): older people and people with disabilities, who need time, leave dangerous places. Others prepare, and leave if they feel in danger.
• Level 4 Evacuation Order (避難指示, hinan shiji): everyone leaves dangerous places.
• Level 5 Emergency Safety Response (緊急安全確保): a disaster is very likely already happening. Protect your life at once, for example by moving to an upper floor.

The city says to evacuate by Level 4 and not to wait for Level 5. Level 5 is not always issued, and the levels do not always come in order. If you feel in danger, the city asks you to start evacuating on your own judgment.

2. Where do I evacuate?

2.1 Evacuation sites and shelters are different

Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City uses two kinds of places:

• Designated emergency evacuation sites: places to escape to quickly to save your life. They include community centers, schools, school grounds and parks. Large parks may be named as wide-area sites.
• Designated shelters (指定避難所, hinanjo): buildings where people can stay for a while after a disaster, such as community centers, civic centers and schools.

Some places are not used for some types of disaster. The city publishes lists of places that do not serve as sites or shelters in a flood, a landslide, a storm surge or a tsunami. It also opens only shelters that are safe for the situation. The city’s emergency information page (緊急情報, in Japanese) lists the areas under evacuation information and the shelters that are open, so check it before you leave.

2.2 Do I have to go to a shelter?

Fukuoka City

No. Fukuoka City says staying with relatives or friends in a safe place is also a good way to evacuate. If the river has already flooded and going outside is dangerous, moving to a higher floor of your home can be one way to stay safe.

First check whether your home is in a flood or landslide risk area on the Comprehensive Hazard Map. The map is in Japanese. The city also has flood hazard maps in English for each of the seven wards. Paper hazard maps are given out at ward offices and at Joho Plaza on the first floor of City Hall.

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2.3 Can I bring my pet?

Fukuoka City

Yes, but in most shelters the pet must stay in a cage in a covered area, not where people sleep. Fukuoka City asks pet owners to ask their ward office before evacuating. The city also runs a trial of pet-friendly shelters where owners and pets stay in the same tent. Space is limited, so call 080-1370-3009 to book before you go; this line works only when shelters are open. One of the two pet-friendly shelters, the Home Animal Education Center in Nishi Ward, does not open when a storm surge warning may be issued, such as when a typhoon is approaching. Bring your pet’s food and supplies, and your own food and water.

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3. How do I get alerts and information?

3.1 In English and other languages

Official rule (Japan)

• Safety tips is an app supervised by the Japan Tourism Agency. It sends push alerts for earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings and emergency weather warnings, in 15 languages. Fukuoka City’s English disaster page links to it.
• JMA’s multilingual site shows weather, earthquake and tsunami information in English and other languages.
• Fukuoka City’s Latest Disaster Information page is in English, and also in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali and easy Japanese. The city also posts updates in easy Japanese and English on the Global Community Fukuoka Facebook page.

3.2 The city’s own app, e-mail and LINE

Fukuoka City

Tsunagaru+ (ツナガル＋) is Fukuoka City’s free disaster app. It shows nearby shelters, their facilities and the route there. During a large disaster, it switches to a disaster mode. If you had to evacuate to a park or a parking lot, you can tell the city where you are, and you can get news about relief supplies even at home. Basic functions work without an account.

The Fukuoka City Disaster E-mail sends evacuation information, weather warnings and earthquake information. To register, send an empty e-mail to t-fukuoka-city@sg-p.jp and follow the link in the reply. The city’s LINE account (@fukuokacity) can also send evacuation information and help you search for open shelters.

The city’s pages for these three services do not say that they come in languages other than Japanese.

Play on YouTube

3.3 Fukuoka Prefecture’s app

Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture has an app called Fukuoka MAMORU-Kun. Its English Disaster Prevention Handbook for Non-Japanese (revised March 2023) says the app gives information on typhoons, heavy rain, earthquakes and tsunamis, and shows nearby evacuation areas. It lists Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

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4. Where can I ask for help in my language?

Fukuoka City

When Fukuoka City sets up its disaster control office, the Fukuoka City International Foundation opens the Fukuoka City Disaster Information Center for International Residents. It gives disaster information in many languages and answers questions about the disaster and shelters. Its phone line, 092-262-1799, is for times of disaster only. At other times the center is not open.

At other times, for questions about daily life, use the Consultation Support Center for Foreign Residents at the Fukuoka City International Center (toll-free 0120-66-1799, weekdays).

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5. What should I prepare before a typhoon?

5.1 Supplies and your home

Fukuoka City

Fukuoka City asks you to prepare for power cuts, water stoppages and closed shops. Its list includes:

• food and drinking water for at least 3 days;
• a portable toilet, a flashlight and a portable radio;
• a mobile battery and a portable gas stove.

Before the wind gets strong, bring in or tie down things on your balcony or in your yard. Stay away from windows during strong wind, and do not go near the sea or rivers. The city also says not to work on roofs in strong wind.

5.2 Flooding underground

Fukuoka City International Foundation

The foundation’s English living guide warns that heavy rain often comes with typhoons. Once roads start to flood, avoid the subway, underground shopping areas and basement floors. The English flood map for Hakata Ward marks the underground malls in the Hakata Station and Tenjin areas.

5.3 How will my family know I am safe?

Depends on the provider

NTT runs two message services that open when a disaster happens. With the Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171), you record or play back a voice message, using a phone number as the key. With the Web171 Disaster Message Board, people in the disaster area post text messages that family can read from anywhere, including overseas.

6. My home was damaged. What now?

Fukuoka City

A damage certificate (り災証明書, risai shomeisho) shows how badly a home was damaged by a storm, flood or other natural disaster. You may need it for public support. Fukuoka City issues it to the people who were affected, including owners and tenants.

1. Take photos before you clean up or repair. Photograph the whole building from up to four sides, and each damaged part from near and far.
2. Apply to your ward. Go to the General Affairs Section (総務課) of the ward office for the place that was damaged. In Nishi Ward, it is the Disaster Prevention and Safety Office (防災・安全安心室). You can also apply online through the My Number Portal (マイナポータル) with a My Number Card.
3. Bring ID and the form. A representative needs a letter of authorization and their own ID; a relative living with you does not need the letter.

Apply within 13 months of the day of the disaster. The city may have to inspect your home first, which can take time. If the damage is clearly minor (less than about 10%, including water under the floor) and you agree, the city can judge it from your photos instead, which is faster. For damage from fire or lightning, ask your ward’s fire station instead.

Ward	Section	Phone
Higashi	General Affairs	092-645-1007
Hakata	General Affairs	092-419-1044
Chuo	General Affairs	092-718-1056
Minami	General Affairs	092-559-5063
Jonan	General Affairs	092-833-4055
Sawara	General Affairs	092-833-4304
Nishi	Disaster Prevention and Safety	092-895-7037

These phone lines are in Japanese. To call a ward office through an interpreter, use the city’s multilingual line, 092-753-6113, on weekdays.

7. Where can I practise for a disaster?

Fukuoka City

The Fukuoka Citizens’ Disaster Prevention Center in Momochihama is run by the Fukuoka City Fire Bureau. Entry is free. Its disaster course takes about 80 minutes and includes a VR disaster experience, walking through smoke, using a fire extinguisher, and an earthquake or strong-wind simulator. Age limits apply to some parts.

Book the course by phone by the day before, at 092-847-5991 (9:30 to 17:00). The center says the course is guided in Japanese only; if easy Japanese is hard for you, bring an interpreter. It is closed on Mondays and the last Tuesday of each month (the next day if that is a holiday), and from December 28 to January 4. From July 21 to August 31 it has no closing days. The nearest subway station is Nishijin on the Airport Line. The center is next to the Sawara Fire Station, and the center says many visitors go to the fire station by mistake.

1-3-3 Momochihama, Sawara Ward, Fukuoka City (Google Maps). Phone: 092-847-5990.

8. Common questions

Is the shelter the same for every kind of disaster?

No. Fukuoka City lists, for each ward, the places that do not serve as evacuation sites or shelters in a flood, a landslide, a storm surge or a tsunami. Check the list for your area before a disaster comes.

What should I do in a typhoon if I live in a high-rise apartment?

Fukuoka City says that if your home is not in a risk area, or you can stay safely on an upper floor, you can shelter where you are. Check the hazard map for your address first.

Does it cost money to use the city’s disaster app or e-mail?

Fukuoka City says both are free to use. You pay your own data or mail charges.

Can I get a damage certificate for my car or furniture?

Not a damage certificate. For damage to things other than a home, such as household goods or a car, the city issues a different paper that records that you reported the damage (り災届出証明). It does not show how bad the damage was.

Sources (checked October 2026)

15 pages we checkedShow

• JMA: Warnings and advisories (English), warning levels and new warnings from May 29, 2026 (Japanese)
• Fukuoka City: Evacuation information (Levels 3 to 5) (Japanese, updated June 19, 2026)
• Fukuoka City: Emergency information and open shelters (Japanese)
• Fukuoka City: Designated evacuation sites and shelters (Japanese)
• Fukuoka City: Latest Disaster Information and Information for Foreigners (English)
• Fukuoka City: Tsunagaru+ app, Disaster E-mail and LINE (Japanese)
• Fukuoka City: When a typhoon is coming (Japanese)
• Fukuoka City: Evacuating with pets (Japanese)
• Fukuoka City: Damage certificates (Japanese)
• Fukuoka City International Foundation: Disaster Information Center for International Residents, Disaster Prevention and Natural disasters
• Fukuoka Prefecture: Disaster Prevention Handbook for Non-Japanese (English, PDF, revised March 2023)
• Video: Fukuoka City official YouTube channel (福岡チャンネル by Fukuoka city), linked from the city’s Tsunagaru+ page
• Japan Tourism Agency: Safety tips
• NTT: Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171) and Web171
• Fukuoka Citizens’ Disaster Prevention Center: Visiting, disaster course and course guide (Japanese, PDF, January 8, 2026)