„We should check our earthquake bag.“
That was one of the first things my wife said as we watched the news from Tokyo from a safe Beijing distance. Earthquakes are part of your life in Japan.
Next to our bed in Tokyo is a big black knapsack, filled with all kinds of survival gear: Water, space blanket, a small tarp, babywipes, two sets of MREs, a big knife, a radio, a flashlight. When the earth shakes, the idea is to grab the bag and to abandon the building as fast as you can. The evacuation path is mapped out and burned into our brain. In our case, it’s past the syo-ji sliding wood and paper doors, out on the balcony, and off into the soccer field behind the house, away from the building that could crumble and crush you.
Not that the building is liable to do that. A modern Japanese building is pretty much earthquake proof. It shakes and moves, but remains standing. An old Japanese building is even more earthquake proof: It’s made of wood. In both buildings, in the latter more than in the former, the true danger is fire.
When you watch the footage from Sendai, you see undamaged buildings, inundated by the tidal wave. You can build for earthquakes. It’s hard to build against a wall of water. It may be hard, but they do. Low lying areas of Tokyo are protected by massive seawalls with big gates. But with a 30 foot tidal wave, the wave wins.
When there is a rumble, as there frequently is, you put a hand on the black bag and wait for the second rumble. That’s the real one – if it comes, you run.
Every year, there is a civil defense exercise in our neighborhood. Emergency routes are marked by a big catfish. According to Japanese lore, the Namazu, a giant catfish, lives beneath the earth and causes the quakes. In more modern times, the fish turned into a kawaii animal that supposedly can predict quakes.
“When we go back to Tokyo, we get his and hers earthquake bags,” I said. “With a change of clothes. Imagine, standing in the soccer field in the middle of the night, naked.”
“That’s why Japanese sleep with their clothes on,” said my wife. “You never know.”
That’s why I hate earthquakes.
Bertel:
is difficult for people who do not live in countries that suffer earthquakes to understand. But one gets used to them (earthquakes). The tsunamis are a complete different thing. At least here in Chile the fire is not an issue.
The best for the people in Japan. All our support from Chile
One funny thing about quakes is you don’t feel them in cars. I was riding a bike in Tokyo during a tremor and didn’t feel it until I put my foot on the ground at a light.
I used to see things sway in my house there from time to time. If things get swimmy you stand in a doorway and get ready to run.
I bolted everything to the wall. TVs come with brackets for this purpose, as did the fridge and cabinets. Our kitchen had latches on the doors, apparently to keep dishes inside rather than creating a mess on the floor.
One time I returned to a cold house to discover the gas was off. Automatic devices on the line trip the gas if there is a shiver. Elevators turn themselves off automatically if empty.
The Japanese have learned to live in a bouncy world, I think better than anywhere.
One funny thing about quakes is you don’t feel them in cars.
After Loma Prieta in 89, I did an informal poll of people who had been driving when it hit. They were about evenly split between people who feltnothing (myself included) and people who pulled over because it felt like they suddenly had four flat tires. I’ve hypothesized that it relates to how the vehicle was oriented relative to the direction of the shock waves.
The idea of a “go-bag” makes sense. Most municipalities have an Office of Emergency Management and on their websites they will have information on a minimum level of items to keep. Too bad most folks don’t bother to be prepared. When trouble strikes, there just isn’t enough time to gather things.
In Concord, CA when Loma Prieta struck.
At the red light in an Astro van when I felt the sharp jolt that at first I tought was a decent impact in the rear via an impacting vehicle. Damn, I’ve been rear-ended.
Looking back… nothing.
I knew then a tremor had struck.
I also observed traffic signs, etc shaking to and from upon their metal poles and the eight-story or so building on the opposite corner of the intersection had “waves” visible upon its multitude of windows, that covered more surface area then other structural components.
It was so interesting to listen to the radio reports;
Great confusion at first; The Bay Bridge has fallen, Highway 17 has collapsed (name changed, memory says that WAS the “old” nomenclature… TV used the term “Cypress structure” but I never heard that used in the “old days”)
Moral of the story? You CAN feel a quake inside a vehicle.
Trip home was also interesting. The apartment building I cooked and showered at sat nex to a sag pond directly atop the Concord Fault.
Wondered if that fault was involved and, if so, to what extent.
Later learned it wasn’t.
Residents were outside and as typical with Californios not in the middle of collapsing this and that, the BBQs were going, food cooking, portable radios and TVs engaged and barring trips inside for vittles, water, bathroom trips etc., the party was on.
Inclement weather does hinder events but it was a lovely day.
This report brought to you by an Old Coot now residing in tornado country and the venerable 1971 Duster 340
No film at eleven.
So glad I live in FL, we get hurricanes, which you have (minimum) 3 days notice to get yourself the heck out town. I can’t imagine the horror of waking up to the entire earth shaking under me while stuff is falling all around. I once worked at a place that had a sister office in Cali – one day I was on the phone with someone who told me “please hold, we are having an earthquake”, a few minutes later they continued our conversation as if nothing had happened, only complaining that some photos would require new frame glass. Guess you can get used to it, but that seems crazy.
I live in FL too and my wife did a terrific job of creating our “go” bag with medicine, food, clothes, radio, flashlight, you name it. Although you might have 3 days notice, hurricanes do suddenly change direction, so you may have hours instead of days. If you are at your job when the change of forecast comes in and you have an hour or more ride home to get your stuff you might not have enough time. I recommend that you have at least the essentials ready to go.
Depends where in FL you live. When we moved to Ft. Lauderdale, I remember stopping at a Red Cross educational booth near the beginning of hurricane season. I asked where you should go in the event of a storm and she kind of laughed and said only the people on the barrier islands evacuated. Since there are really only three roads to evacuate on (Alligator Alley, I-95, and the Turnpike) there isn’t enough capacity to get everyone out. Think of the evacuation mess in Houston a few years back. She basically said to hang out in your house and hope it wasn’t a Category 4 or 5.
I started building my survival kit that day.
Here in California, at least we don’t have earthquake season!
Of course back in much of Asia they’ve got typhoon season AND earthquakes…
@aycaramba
That depends on how spooked the population is at the time of the hurricane. I worked all three hurricanes of the 05 season and immediately before Wilma rolled through, I coordinated supply and vehicle prepositioning. I-95 was a slow moving but packed artery. There were enough people moving north that I had trouble finding fuel for my vehicles moving south. Floridians will act cool but they scare just as much as everyone else when they think a big one is coming.
I’ve worked several of the largest earthquake and tropical cyclones (hurricanes) since then and it’s been a busy half decade. Each is its own bag but I personally really hate mass casualty earthquake response. Actually, I don’t like doing either and that’s why I’m getting out of this game.
I live in the Ft Laud area and US 27 will get you up the middle of the state out of harms way. Generally the wind is not the greatest threat… as you’ve seen its quickly moving (flood) water. Thankfully the Atlantic coast doesn’t suffer the same surge issues as the Gulf coast, that is the reason only the barrier islands are evacuated. Once your west of US1/Federal/Dixie Hwy your safe from coastal flooding in Broward County: http://www.broward.org/Hurricane/Pages/HurricaneEvacuationMapLarge.aspx Rain flooding is a different story, that varies from block to block. I’ve been living here since David in ’79 so trust me I know the drill and have my supplies in order, most important is enough gas to drive out of the damage zone once its all over (well provided your vehicle isn’t crushed by a tree or under water) My rule of thumb: under Cat 3 stay, Cat 3 and above = road trip to Disney. Alot depends on when your house was built and if you have shutters or not: post Andrew (’92 – Cat 5) the building code become very tough resulting in roofs that stay put.
JMII,
It’s funny you should mention Disney. Disney puts up a lot of emergency management, disaster relief and electricity crews from all over. Safest place to be in all of Florida that’s not a military base.
Not to disagree with Mr. Schmitt, but older japanese houses, with heavy tile roofs on top of a light wooden frame, were very dangerous during the Kobe Earthquake back in ’95. The tile roofs were meant to better withstand typhoon damage, but resulted in a ‘pancake’ effect during earthquakes when their frames failed. Modern, multi-story buildings did much better. I suspect a truly traditional japanese house with a wooden (or thatched) roof would do fine, but the housing stock of those is vanishingly small these days, for obvious reasons.
The part about go-bags is extremely useful. Everyone should have one.
I was in Hiroshima at that time of the Big One in Kobe. Our area danced at magnitude 5.x. Very early morning, minutes before sunrise. Funnily, despite this being my sleepiest hour, I woke up 10 minutes or so prior with a very bad feeling that something terrible should happen. And then the building started to rock.
Once it was over and before anybody in the dorm (new at a time building) fully realized what was happening, I was on the phone to call my relatives in Russia. That was 1996 and no widespread internet access, just a land line for ya. Was extremely lucky that the lines were not yet overloaded. My Polish buddies tried that about 30 minutes later and could not get through.
Some folks (foregners) were so deep in their sleep that did not notice anything.
I’ve been through three fairly major quakes here in western Washington. The one ten years ago shook the house in a fashion to knock books off shelves on north or south but not east or west walls. We didn’t sustain any actual damage, just had to pick up books and other items that fell off shelves. I was at work, in a large old brick building with 12-foot ceilings. The fluorescent fixtures waved around and dust flew from all the overhead pipes, wires, and fixtures. Got back out from under the desk and found no damage other than a new crack going from one corner of one wall to another.
May the “big one” not hit until after my time on the earth….
Bertel I hope your in-laws are OK. It’s good that that the Internet is still working there…