What can we do in the earthquake?
What can we do in the earthquake?
Hi everyone!
It has been 10 years since the Great East Earthquake. These days, I have seen some articles about it. In that earthquake, 25% of people who died were disabled people. It’s really a sad truth. And according to the Japanese government, there might be a great earthquake in Tokyo in 30 years.
Although we cannot move as fast as normal people do, is it possible for us to do something necessary to save our lives?
I see that NHK has some guidances, can we get more information about us from the city hall or other places?
Thank you in advance!
- 4 Replies
That is a very important question! First of all, I would suggest getting the “Disaster Preparedness Tokyo App”:
- iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/disaster-preparedness-tokyoapp/id1290558619
- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.tokyo.metro.tokyotobousaiapp&hl=en_US&gl=US
It has great information and alerts. Even if you do not live in Tokyo, it is useful. There are other apps for general alerts, but the one above has good guides and is in multiple languages.
You should also secure furniture in your house, so it does not fall.
But the most important part for people with disabilities is registering with your city and asking about their disaster planning. For example, in my city the residents with disabilities are checked on first in case of a disaster because we can register our address. Also, many cities have a rental emergency button you can place in your house.
Hopefully that is a good start. Does anyone else have any advice?
This a good idea. Thank you Josh!
Also, may I ask, if we are at school, should we contact with our school about our situation in advance?
And then, if we are on the street or in a shopping mall, what should we do?
Yes, it would be good to talk about it with your school. Maybe they can help you find people in your classes to be designated helpers in an emergency?
However, outside of your home and school, I don’t think there is much you can do other than follow instructions from the guide app and ask for help from those nearby. Even though we sometimes get an early warning, it is at most a few seconds, so you won’t have much time to react…
Generally, elementary and junior high schools are used as emergency evacuation centers, so, if there is a big emergency, that may be a good place to go. However, if you are far from your home when the earthquake happens, you should try to make your way back to your area after things have settled down.
I see. Thank you for your advice!
It’s really important for us to prepare for it.
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