Subject: American Community Security Update - September 2003 Welcome to the September newsletter! Here are the topics for this month: -- Security Situation -- Typhoon Tips -- Welcome to New Colleagues -- Baggage Inspection at U.S. Airports -- Shoe Inspection at U.S. Airports -- Volunteering at TELL -- Upcoming Holidays -- New Contact Info for the National Passport Center -- Other Items -- Voting Information for The California Special Election -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) -- Unsubscribing --------------------------------------------------------- Security Situation --------------------------------------------------------- The security situation in Japan remains the same with no new threat information other than the July 29, 2003 Worldwide Caution Public Announcement we distributed via this channel (you can always read the most current information at http://travel.state.gov). --------------------------------------------------------- Typhoon Tips --------------------------------------------------------- 'Tis the season for typhoons. Being prepared for a typhoon means keeping informed on the progress and severity of the storm, and taking some common-sense precautions to minimize the problems a typhoon may cause for you. --------------------------------------------------------- Typhoon Basics --------------------------------------------------------- Typhoons are giant whirlwinds: tropical cyclones that spin in the opposite direction of hurricanes. These storms, accompanied by heavy rainfall, can cover areas of up to 500 miles in diameter and generate winds up to 180 miles an hour. The typhoon season in Japan runs from May through October, with most activity from July to September. Typhoons that hit Japan are often accompanied by damaging high tides. Persons living in areas close to the ocean are especially at risk. Landslides are also a serious concern during periods of heavy rain. Conditions for a landslide are particularly dangerous after rain has fallen at a rate of 20 mm or more an hour or when 100 mm of rain falls nonstop. --------------------------------------------------------- Keeping Informed --------------------------------------------------------- Weather watches (chuiho) are calls for "caution" when it has been predicted that damage may occur as a result of winds and rain brought about by bad weather. Warnings (keiho), which are much stronger than watches (chuiho), are released when forecasters predict that a storm will cause heavy widespread damage. When accompanied by an approaching typhoon, "heavy rain and flooding warnings" (oame-kozui keiho) or "heavy rain information" (oame ni kansuru joho) are also signs that dangerous weather conditions are present. -- http://metoc.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc.html is the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center, with good satellite weather maps available online. -- http://www.tbs.co.jp/weather/index.html weather has online radar images and lots of information in English. They have a special typhoon page at http://www.tbs.co.jp/weather/typhoon.html. -- Weather information online is also available at a number of sites, including http://www.cnn.com. Type the term "japan weather" into your favorite search engine, such as http://www.google.com. -- Recorded weather information is available from the US Air Force base at Yokota by dialing 0425-52-2511, listening to a recording, waiting for a separate dial tone and then dialing 5-4181. -- Recorded weather information is also available from the US Naval base at Yokosuka by dialing 0468-21-1910, and dialing extension 243-5155. -- Recorded weather information in Japanese is available by phone by dialing 177. NHK news at AM 693 is a Japanese language resource. -- English radio stations we are aware of: In many parts of the Kanto area, listen to Inter-FM at 76.1, Yokohama FM at 84.7 or the US military radio station at AM 810. Fukuoka: Love FM 76.1 MHz Naha: FEN on 64.8 Khz AM or 89.1 Mhz FM Aichi Prefecture: Radio-i (79.5MHz) Kobe: Kiss-FM KOBE (89.9 MHz) Osaka: FM-COCOLO (76.5 MHz) (http://www.cocolo.co.jp) has programs in a variety of languages including English, plus Internet radio English news M-F, 12:30-13:00. Other radio stations with some English programs include FM-OSAKA (85.1 MHz) and FM802 (80.2 MHz). --------------------------------------------------------- Taking Precautions --------------------------------------------------------- -- Secure or move inside outdoor items such as toys, grills, bicycles, furniture, plants and anything moveable on the balcony. Move potted plants and other heavy objects away from windows inside as well. -- Set your fridge and freezer to the coldest temperature setting to minimize spoilage if the power is cut off. If the power does fail, keep the fridge door closed. -- Watch for leaks around windows and doors. If the wind is strong enough, water may be blown into your home even if the windows are closed. Have handy towels, rags and mops. -- If the storm becomes severe, move into a hallway or area where there is the least exposure to external glass windows. Draw curtains across the windows to prevent against flying glass should windows crack. -- If a window breaks, place a mattress or sofa seat over the broken pane and secure it there with a heavy piece of furniture. -- A window on the side of the house away from the approaching storm should be cracked a few inches. This will compensate for the differences of indoor and outdoor air pressure. -- Remember that typhoons have "eyes", areas in their center where the weather appears calm. If the eye passes over your area, it may appear that the storm has finished, with winds then picking up again as the remainder of the storm arrives. Stay inside until the storm has completely passed. -- After the storm is over, check for broken glass, fallen trees and downed power lines which may present safety hazards near school bus stops, outdoor trash areas, around your car, etc. --------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to New Colleagues --------------------------------------------------------- With this newsletter we also welcome our new Consul General, Edward J. McKeon, to Tokyo. Ed most recently served as Consul General in Tel Aviv, and replaces Consul General Robert Tynes. We also welcome Paul Howard, who is the new head of the Consular Section in Osaka-Kobe. Paul's most recent overseas assignment was as head of the Consular Section in Georgetown, Guyana. He replaces Clarence Hudson. --------------------------------------------------------- Baggage Inspection at U.S. Airports --------------------------------------------------------- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for the safety and security within U.S. airports, including inspection of both checked and carry on luggage. In many instances, your checked luggage will be opened and inspected. TSA advises that you do not lock your luggage, as a screener would then have to break the lock to open your bag. TSA is not liable for damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution. If your bags are opened and searched, TSA will place a notice inside, and close your bag with a plastic seal, similar to the tie wraps used to bundle electrical wires. TSA screeners exercise care during the screening process to ensure that your contents are returned to your bag every time a bag needs to be opened. TSA will assess on an individual basis any loss or damage claims made to TSA. Details on how to make a claim are available at http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?theme=87&content=564. Here's the claim form you'll need: http://www.tsa.gov/public/interweb/assetlibrary/SF95Claim_Form.pdf --------------------------------------------------------- Shoe Inspection at U.S. Airports --------------------------------------------------------- TSA does not require passengers remove their shoes prior to proceeding through the security checkpoint. However, any person that alerts while proceeding through the checkpoint will be subject to a secondary screening. If you know that your shoes will alarm the metal detector, you may choose to take them off prior to entering the checkpoint and place them in a TSA provided bin so they may be cleared through the x-ray machines. On recent travels this summer, we noticed that many screeners advised people to remove their shoes, and that most people who did remove their shoes initially passed through the screening process faster. Apparently many shoes have metal shanks in them that can set off the metal detectors. The TSA web site has a lot of practical information on navigating these procedures. Visit them at http://www.TSATravelTips.us --------------------------------------------------------- Volunteering at TELL in Tokyo --------------------------------------------------------- Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) is a nonprofit organization (not affiliated with the U.S. Embassy) that has served the international and business communities since 1973. They offer free phone counseling and information, professional face-to-face counseling, and educational workshops. We know they have helped many foreigners in Japan through some very difficult times. You can reach them at 03-5774-0992 or at http://www.telljp.com/. Want to help? Each year Tokyo English Life Line's trained volunteer telephone counselors receive calls from thousands of people who need help...or just someone to listen. It takes special skills to listen with empathy each time a call comes through. Are you interested in developing those skills? Then think about taking the Telephone Counselors Training Course which trains people to staff the Life Line. The next course begins in mid-September. Read the FAQ at http://www.telljp.com/supporters/lifeline.html or call TELL 03-3498-0246 to get started. --------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Holidays --------------------------------------------------------- The Embassy and our Consulates will be closed on September 1 for Labor Day, September 15 for Respect for the Aged Day and September 23 for Autumn Equinox Day. A full list of all of our holiday closings for 2003 is online at http://usembassy.state.gov/tokyo/wwwhacs-holidays.html. As a reminder, workdays just before and just after a holiday are usually very busy times, so if you do come in to see us then your wait will likely be longer than on other days. Visit us outside of those times and you should have a shorter wait. If you do come to see us at the Embassy in Tokyo, note that we have two lines to enter the building once you pass the initial security check; a (usually) longer line for visa applicants and a much shorter line for customers coming for American Citizen Services help. --------------------------------------------------- Finding the New Tokyo Immigration Office --------------------------------------------------- The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau (5-5-30, Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Tel. 03-5796-7111) is a 15 minute walk from Tennozu-Isle Station on the Tokyo monorail or the Tokyo Rinkai Line. You can also take Bus 8 from the east side of JR Shinagawa Station for 200 yen. A taxi from Shinagawa Station will be 700 yen or more. We have a map on our web site; please see http://usembassy.state.gov/tokyo/wwwfimmigration.pdf, or http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/soshiki/iten.html. --------------------------------------------------- New Contact Information for the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) --------------------------------------------------- Americans in Japan with passport questions should contact the Embassy or nearest Consulate; a list with phone numbers and web site addresses is at the end of this email. For our readers in the U.S., or if you are advising Grandma and Grandpa on how to get their passports for that Christmas visit to Japan we are all so looking forward to, the place to call in the U.S. is the National Passport Information Center (NPIC). Better yet, they just changed from a 1-900 fee for service to a 1-877 toll free service. The new number is 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778), TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793. Live operator service is available from 8:00am to 8:00pm, Eastern Time, and automated information calls and e-mail will be accepted 24-hours-per-day, seven-days-per-week. E-mail inquiries can be made at npic@state.gov. Forms are downloadable from http://travel.state.gov. --------------------------------------------------- Other Items --------------------------------------------------- -- You can buy U.S. postal stamps online at http://shop.usps.com/, perfect when you need to send a SASE to some U.S. company. -- For travelers to Indonesia, be sure to read the latest warning (08/28/03) at http://travel.state.gov/indonesia_warning.html. -- Nihon Kotsu Taxi Service in Tokyo will now take phone bookings for taxi in English, no extra service charge, 24/7. Call 03-3799-9220. -- All our fees are payable in yen or dollars. The fees are set in dollars and the yen rate is calculated (and thus varies) daily. Please find out more, including forms of payment, on our web sites. All contact information is listed at the end of this email message. --------------------------------------------------- Voting Information For The California Special Election --------------------------------------------------- On October 7, 2003, the State of California will hold a special election to determine whether Governor Gray Davis is recalled and, if so, who will succeed him. Citizens who are California residents and who are covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) should register and request a ballot by completing and submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) (SF-76) to their county clerk or Registrar of Voters no later than September 22. These application forms are available at http://www.fvap.gov/. --------------------------------------------------- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome --------------------------------------------------- On August 25, 2003 the Department of State issued the following information about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). This Fact Sheet updates general information on how to stay current about Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued a number of travel advisories for SARS and may do so in the future should a new SARS epidemic occur. Americans who are planning travel to a known SARS-affected area or are concerned about SARS should monitor the CDC's and the WHO's web sites for the latest information (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/; http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/). In addition, Americans should be aware that some countries have barred entry to or quarantined travelers arriving from SARS-affected areas. Should a U.S. Mission in a country become aware of such entry restrictions, it may advise U.S. government employees to postpone non-essential travel to that country. Americans concerned about SARS or planning to travel to SARS-affected areas should also consult the Consular Information Sheets for those countries available at the Consular Affairs web site at http://travel.state.gov. Americans may also contact the Department of State toll-free at 1-888-407-4747, or if calling from overseas, 317-472-2328, for information. Prospective parents of adoptees in a SARS-affected country should consult the appropriate link on adoptions at the CDC website, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/adoption.htm. The CDC and the WHO are tracking SARS' origin, method of transmission and treatment. SARS severely taxed health care systems in affected countries; neighboring countries curtailed flights in and out of affected locations and blocked transfer of SARS patients for medical care. Strong efforts were made to contain SARS. Some countries implemented measures such as mandatory screening of incoming passengers at airports, and persons with SARS-like symptoms were quarantined and/or sent to designated hospitals until the authorities were satisfied they did not have SARS. Medical evacuation of SARS patients remains problematic. Securing transport and locating a destination willing to accept such patients is difficult, if not impossible. Since medical evacuation possibilities may change, family members of SARS patients may wish to consult with the nearest U.S. Embassy/Consulate General for the latest information. Contact Information for the CDC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA 30333, (404) 639-3311 (888) 246-2675, Spanish (888) 246-2857, TTY (866) 874-2646 Mon-Fri 8am-11pm EST, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm EST Contact Information for the WHO Liaison Office in Washington, DC: WHO Liaison Office 1775 K Street, N.W., Suite 430, Washington, D.C. 20006 Telephone: (202)331-9081, Facsimile: (202)331-9097 --------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribing --------------------------------------------------- We make every attempt to include in our newsletter information of real value. We know that should world events dictate, we can use this email channel to get important information to you, as we did in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. That said, if you are leaving Japan or otherwise wish to unsubscribe from this list, please write from the same email address you used to subscribe, and send a blank email to: leave-tokyoacs@mh.databack.com