Category: Earthquake

Pre-earthquake preparation
(1) Fix furniture firmly to the wall and do not place fragile or heavy objects on high places or at the head of the bed.

(2) Always have an emergency evacuation bag for disaster preparedness at home (containing emergency medical supplies, water, food, money, cold-weather clothes, towels, lights, portable knives, radio, contact cards, battery charger for cell-phone, etc.).

(3) Evacuation sites, parks, and contact information should be arranged with your family in advance.

In case of an earthquake
(1) First, lower your body posture and try to protect your head and neck with soft objects or hands.

(2) Shelter under a table or a solid barrier (doorway) and hold on.

After the earthquake stops shaking
(1) Check your home environment, quickly unplug electrical gadgets and switch off the power and gas.

(2) Take your emergency evacuation bag and open the door to escape from the building to an evacuation site.

(3) Contact your family to report the disaster and turn on your radio/cell-phone to listen to the latest disaster reports.

(4) If you are trapped, stay calm, try not exert too much energy, make some noise and wait for help.

(5) Also be prepared for aftershocks.

When an earthquake occurs, the ground may shake slightly or violently.  When the shaking is severe, it may cause furniture to move or buildings to collapse as cracks may open in the ground causing cave-ins and also causing fires.

When the magnitude is large, it may also trigger mudslides, liquefaction of the earth’s surface and even set off volcanic eruptions.

If an earthquake occurs under the sea, the movement of the ocean bottom may cause a tsunami.

There are approximately 2,000 active faults throughout the land mass of Japan, and as a result, Japan has experienced many seismic hazards throughout its history.

Earthquakes can be divided into plate boundary earthquakes and intra-plate earthquakes. Plate boundary earthquakes occur when the oceanic plate subducts beneath the continental plate, causing the continental plate, which is being dragged the oceanic plate, to rebound uncontrollably, causing faults on the plate boundary to rupture, often accompanied major submarine deformation and tsunamis.

Intra-plate earthquakes, on the other hand, occur when faults within a plate are pushed together tremendous forces and the magma moves, causing shaking and rocking.