TYPHOON WARNING AND PREPAREDNESS

In many developed countries there has been remarkable increase in the numbers of people who arethreatened each year by typhoons and hurricanes. This is not because of population growth so much asthe increasing affluence which allows people to relocate in warm coastal areas where they can take advantageof a warmer climate and greater recreational opportunities throughout the year. This poses many chal-lenging problems in limiting the potential for disaster from severe coastal storms, especially from typhoonsor hurricanes. With the increasing congestion of property and lives-at-risk when a typhoon strikes, the system and procedures for protection of property and safe-guarding lives which served well in the pastmay fail in the future. It is therefore necessary to examine the options within reach to resolve these prob-lems. In the United States there has been many efforts to define and evaluate various options including (1)improving the timeliness of warnings: (2) more exact predictions of the character and scope of coastalplain flooding from storms surges: (3) better public communication of the growth hour-by-hour of risksfrom an approaching hurricane: (4) a means of reducing the number of people who must be evacuatedinland to safe shelters: and (5) the engineering design of structures resistant to high winds and stormsurges. We shall discuss some of the findings, but first lets examine briefly the factors which are complicat-ing the warning and preparedness programs as they currently exist.