Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Information booklet and website for preparing for the Nankai Earthquake

You will still clearly remember the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province, China in May. While watching a series of news report from the quake-hit area, I reaffirmed my belief that being prepared for the worst is vital if you are to survive such a massive earthquake.

As you already know, Japan is a country of earthquakes and Kochi is no exception. A big earthquake called “The Nankai Earthquake” of magnitude 8.4 is expected to strike Kochi in the first half of this century.


In March 2008, the Kochi International Association (KIA) published pamphlets translated into English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Indonesian and Vietnamese and launched websites translated into the same languages to assist the international community in Kochi to prepare for the inevitable.

The main contents are as follows.
1. Mechanism of occurrence of the Nankai Earthquake
2. Characteristics of the Nankai Earthquake
3. Seismic Intensity vs Magnitude
4. Preventing building collapse
5. Preventing furniture overturning, etc
6. Emergency supplies for when you evacuate and for life in a shelter
7. Local disaster prevention groups and disaster prevention week
8. Surviving the earthquake
9. Life in a shelter
10. Inspecting your affected home and disaster victim certification

The information in Chinese is also available as a recorded message, which you can access from the internet address below:
http://www.kochi-kia.or.jp/earthquake/index.htm

I hope more foreigners living in Kochi will read this pamphlet and website and take necessary precautions so that you can protect not only yourself, but also your family and neighbors. Please contact the KIA if you would like a copy.

Taken from vol.24 (June & July, 2008. Old and New Cultures in Kochi)

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