Japan’s Earthquake Preparedness
I woke up in the morning to find three WhatsApp messages from friends and family checking on our whereabouts and safety, and safe we were. We were in Takayama, a town located in heart of the Japanese Alps in central Japan, when two powerful earthquakes hit the Kyushu region in south of Japan.
While thirty two people died and several buildings collapsed, I wonder how many lives were saved because of Japan’s strict building codes, their early warning network, their preparedness and the regular practice drills. And I wonder how much other countries can learn from Japan.
We got a first hand experience of Japan’s early warning network on 1 April. An offshore earthquake with an epicenter 170 kms southeast of Osaka shook central and western Japan. We were in Kyoto at our airbnb apartment around noon time. Both our cellphones started buzzing with loud alarm, and an alert flashed on the cellphone screen. That was scary, particularly since we couldn’t read the entire message. We got out of the apartment and ran down the staircase. Luckily nothing happened. No tremors. We went back up after a few minutes and went on with our normal schedule.
Though just a warning, the incident left a big impact on the kids. It makes me realize how important it is to help the children who have actually witnessed an earthquake cope with the extreme trauma that this terrifying and destructive occurrence brings.
