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5 Things to Prepare for Earthquake in Japan

There was a big earthquake in Japan on June 18, 2018.

Strong quake near Osaka, Japan, kills 4, knocks over walls

There are a lot of earthquakes in Japan so Japanese people get used to them, however most of them are not so big. I experienced Tohoku Earthquake which occurred in 2011. Tokyo was not so damaged badly, but there were big mess and confusion. There was no food and water at any stores, even on Amazon! Also, train and bus didn’t work, so I couldn’t go home on that day.

Noah
Noah
Wow, I’m really scared. Is there anything we can do for earthquakes? I believe we should prepare something just in case.
May
May
Absolutely. Japanese Government recommends to prepare 5 things. Let’s see what’s necessary!

You can see the website here. ※Only Japanese version is available so far (as of July 2, 2018).

5 Things to Prepare For Earthquake
  1. Firmly Fix Furniture
  2. Stock Water and Food
  3. Prepare “Emergency Bag”
  4. Confirm Evacuation Site
  5. Confirm How To Communicate With Your Family In Advance

Noah
Noah
Oh, there are a lot of things to do…
May
May
Yes, but all of them are very important for our safety. Let’s check one by one.

1. Firmly Fix Furniture

Furniture falls down easily when earthquakes happen, and a lot of people have killed because of it, so it is very important to fix furniture firmly for protecting family’s lives.

Also, you should avoid sleeping near big furniture. If the earthquake happens while you sleep, it is really difficult to run away from falling furniture quickly.

May
May
Not only the furniture, but you also need to be careful about big home electrical appliance, such as fridge or TV.

2. Stock Water and Food

Water and food are critical to our lives, but in the event of natural disaster, they are hardly available. So it is very important to stock them just in case beforehand.

Noah
Noah
What kind of food do you stock as emergency food?
May
May
Rice, cookies, or chocolate is better, because they are non-pershiable.

Also, you might want to have bottled water just in case. Water supply would stop. In the event of big earthquakes, bottled water disappeared so quickly from stores.

3. Prepare “Emergency Bag”

“Emergency Bag” should include:

  • Water and food
  • Medicine
  • First-aid case
  • Underwear
  • Flashlight
  • Towel, etc…

You should prepare them and put them into one bag so that you can just grab it when you escape in case of natural disaster.

Also, if you have a baby, milk and diapers are also necessary.

Noah
Noah
If you have a pet, don’t forget to prepare dog food/ cat food as well!

4. Confirm Evacuation Site

Each local authority usually designates evacuation site. If a big earthquake happens and water/gas/electricity supply stops, your family might have to stay at an evacuation site for a while, so all of your family member need to know where it is beforehand.

May
May
If you have a pet, it might be very difficult to stay at an evacuation site, because not everyone likes animals. Actually, in case of big earthquakes past in years, some people had to stay in cars because they had a pet.
Noah
Noah
Some people have an allergy to animals, so it is very difficult problem… Spending in a car is very hard and stressful for both human and animals.

5. Confirm How To Communicate With Your Family In Advance

In case of emergency, it would become hard to access to the Internet or make a phone call, because a lot of people would try to do so. So it is very important to confirm with your family how to communicate each other in case of natural disaster.

May
May
In Japan, there are two methods of communication in case of natural disaster.
1. Phone message service (171)

You will make a phone call to 171 and record a voice message. If other family member know your phone number, then they can hear your message.

2. Message board

You will post a message to the Internet message board. Other family member can look for your message by using your phone number and see it.

Noah
Noah
It is very important for all of you to know these services, so you need to confirm with your family before something happens.

It is said that there is a 70% chance that a big earthquake happens in Kanto area in 30 years. Only God knows what really happens, but we should prepare for natural disaster.

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