Post by SA Hunter on May 17, 2016 21:22:35 GMT 8
www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/09/02/editorials/proper-preparation-disasters/#.Vzsahfl97IV
Anti-disaster drills assuming major earthquakes were held across the country Tuesday — the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake 92 years ago — with the participation of an estimated 1.67 million people nationwide. Japan is a disaster-prone archipelago; damage from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster remains, and future powerful quakes with massive casualties are forecast. The 1923 quake anniversary should serve as a reminder of the need for government authorities, businesses and citizens alike to be prepared for large-scale disasters.
Along with major quakes, abnormal meteorological phenomena such as frequent torrential rains and tornadoes as well as volcanic activity have caused serious damage in recent years. It is impossible to prevent natural disasters from taking place or predict when and how they will hit. But we can reduce the damage from such disasters and protect lives if we are adequately prepared. Government at all levels, communities and individuals should cooperate to determine what they will need to do both now and in the event of a major disaster to minimize the damage.
The national government drill Tuesday was based on a scenario that the Tokyo metropolitan area has been hit by a magnitude-7.3 quake originating in western Tokyo, with Tokyo, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures shaken by tremors registering upper 6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7.
While the 1923 quake is estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people, mainly in Tokyo and Kanagawa, the government fears that a powerful quake directly hitting the metropolitan area today could, in the worst-case scenario, kill up to 23,000 people, injure 120,000 others and destroy more than 600,000 houses and buildings. But it is also hoped that the number of deaths and property damage can be significantly reduced through adequate preventive measures against fire.
Protecting lives and property in the event of a massive tsunami, which accounted for most of the casualties in Tohoku coastal areas in the March 2011 magnitude-9 quake, remains an important and serious challenge. A worst-case scenario for the big quake predicted to occur along the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean estimates that a tsunami and other accompanying disasters will kill more than 300,000 people, mainly in western Japan. The government has established a plan to mobilize more than 100,000 Self-Defense Force personnel from across Japan to conduct rescue operations in disaster-hit areas within three days of the quake. But the SDF rescuers are expected to face difficulties reaching disaster areas in time due to disruptions to road networks and other infrastructure. The risk of isolated communities in mountainous and coastal areas being cut off from rescuers over an extended period must be taken into account and measures taken to deal with such a scenario.
In the event of a Nankai Trough earthquake or any major seismic disaster for that matter, local governments and residents need to be prepared to survive on their own until outside help can arrive. In addition to storing food and water, local authorities and communities need to select in advance hills and tall, robust structures as evacuation destinations in the event of a major tsunami, and hold drills to make sure their evacuation plans work. It will also be helpful to study hazard maps to know which parts of neighborhoods are vulnerable to disaster, such as areas prone to flooding and mudslides in the event of torrential rains. To make evacuation plans more effective, local governments and communities need to draw up measures on how to help move elderly residents and people requiring nursing care to safety.
In mountainous areas in the city of Hiroshima, where more than 70 people were killed in landslides caused by a cloudburst in August last year, disaster prevention maps showing dangerous spots for evacuees have since been compiled for local residents. Other local governments should learn from this and put together evacuation plans that suit each of their situations. Relevant authorities should also study how to issue evacuation advisories and other orders for local residents at the right time — in the past there have been cases in which such orders came too late.
Recent volcanic activity in various parts of Japan, such as Mount Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture and Mount Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, have affected the lives of nearby residents and tourism industry. The residents of Kuchinoerabu Island off Kagoshima have been forced to stay away from their homes for more than three months following a major eruption in late May. More than 60 climbers are confirmed dead or remain missing from when Mount Ontake, on the Nagano-Gifu border, suddenly blew its top last September — the worst volcanic disaster in postwar Japan.
The government is trying to beef up its monitoring of volcanoes across the country. But it is also crucial that relevant information about volcanic activities is promptly relayed to local residents as well as climbers and other tourists to enable them to take the most appropriate action. In the disaster on Mount Ontake, data indicating an increase in the number of small-scale volcanic quakes before the eruption had not been properly disseminated among climbers. Authorities monitoring volcanic activities should be in constant communication with residents and businesses around the volcanoes so action can be quickly taken when an eruption is imminent.
Anti-disaster drills assuming major earthquakes were held across the country Tuesday — the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake 92 years ago — with the participation of an estimated 1.67 million people nationwide. Japan is a disaster-prone archipelago; damage from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster remains, and future powerful quakes with massive casualties are forecast. The 1923 quake anniversary should serve as a reminder of the need for government authorities, businesses and citizens alike to be prepared for large-scale disasters.
Along with major quakes, abnormal meteorological phenomena such as frequent torrential rains and tornadoes as well as volcanic activity have caused serious damage in recent years. It is impossible to prevent natural disasters from taking place or predict when and how they will hit. But we can reduce the damage from such disasters and protect lives if we are adequately prepared. Government at all levels, communities and individuals should cooperate to determine what they will need to do both now and in the event of a major disaster to minimize the damage.
The national government drill Tuesday was based on a scenario that the Tokyo metropolitan area has been hit by a magnitude-7.3 quake originating in western Tokyo, with Tokyo, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures shaken by tremors registering upper 6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 7.
While the 1923 quake is estimated to have killed more than 100,000 people, mainly in Tokyo and Kanagawa, the government fears that a powerful quake directly hitting the metropolitan area today could, in the worst-case scenario, kill up to 23,000 people, injure 120,000 others and destroy more than 600,000 houses and buildings. But it is also hoped that the number of deaths and property damage can be significantly reduced through adequate preventive measures against fire.
Protecting lives and property in the event of a massive tsunami, which accounted for most of the casualties in Tohoku coastal areas in the March 2011 magnitude-9 quake, remains an important and serious challenge. A worst-case scenario for the big quake predicted to occur along the Nankai Trough in the Pacific Ocean estimates that a tsunami and other accompanying disasters will kill more than 300,000 people, mainly in western Japan. The government has established a plan to mobilize more than 100,000 Self-Defense Force personnel from across Japan to conduct rescue operations in disaster-hit areas within three days of the quake. But the SDF rescuers are expected to face difficulties reaching disaster areas in time due to disruptions to road networks and other infrastructure. The risk of isolated communities in mountainous and coastal areas being cut off from rescuers over an extended period must be taken into account and measures taken to deal with such a scenario.
In the event of a Nankai Trough earthquake or any major seismic disaster for that matter, local governments and residents need to be prepared to survive on their own until outside help can arrive. In addition to storing food and water, local authorities and communities need to select in advance hills and tall, robust structures as evacuation destinations in the event of a major tsunami, and hold drills to make sure their evacuation plans work. It will also be helpful to study hazard maps to know which parts of neighborhoods are vulnerable to disaster, such as areas prone to flooding and mudslides in the event of torrential rains. To make evacuation plans more effective, local governments and communities need to draw up measures on how to help move elderly residents and people requiring nursing care to safety.
In mountainous areas in the city of Hiroshima, where more than 70 people were killed in landslides caused by a cloudburst in August last year, disaster prevention maps showing dangerous spots for evacuees have since been compiled for local residents. Other local governments should learn from this and put together evacuation plans that suit each of their situations. Relevant authorities should also study how to issue evacuation advisories and other orders for local residents at the right time — in the past there have been cases in which such orders came too late.
Recent volcanic activity in various parts of Japan, such as Mount Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture and Mount Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture, have affected the lives of nearby residents and tourism industry. The residents of Kuchinoerabu Island off Kagoshima have been forced to stay away from their homes for more than three months following a major eruption in late May. More than 60 climbers are confirmed dead or remain missing from when Mount Ontake, on the Nagano-Gifu border, suddenly blew its top last September — the worst volcanic disaster in postwar Japan.
The government is trying to beef up its monitoring of volcanoes across the country. But it is also crucial that relevant information about volcanic activities is promptly relayed to local residents as well as climbers and other tourists to enable them to take the most appropriate action. In the disaster on Mount Ontake, data indicating an increase in the number of small-scale volcanic quakes before the eruption had not been properly disseminated among climbers. Authorities monitoring volcanic activities should be in constant communication with residents and businesses around the volcanoes so action can be quickly taken when an eruption is imminent.