When heavy snow triggers disaster measures

Living in Niigata long enough makes you realize just how dangerous snow can be, and this week really drove that home with the prefecture setting up something called the "Heavy Snow Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters." Even by Japan's standards, I feel like that's a uniquely Niigata concept…an entire emergency headquarters dedicated not to earthquakes or typhoons, but snow.

The headquarters is being led by the prefectural governor, and it was established after the crazy snowfall we've been having, which pushes things from just an inconvenience to real danger. In parts of Uonuma and Ojiya (both very close by to me), snow depths have gone past three meters, which is well over the seasonal average. At that point, the concern isn't just for people getting around, but roofs collapsing under such extreme weight.

For those two cities, the Disaster Relief Act has now been applied, meaning government funds will help cover things like residential roof snow removal. I think it's super important, as we do have quite an aging population out here. Every year I hear about people passing away in local areas from trying to remove snow from roofs themselves, so I'm glad the government is taking measures to make people safer against Mother Nature.