Earthquake tidbit 1
How to be prepared for a large earthquake
If you live in Japan, you should always be prepared for an earthquake. Japan is sitting on four different tectonic plates, so it is an earthquake kingdom. Generally they are unexpected. So always be prepared.
Of course, if you live in Japan you already have emergency food and water supplies. Right? You also need to make sure you have a go-bag with a change of clothes, a water bottle and some easy-to-carry food, some work gloves, first aid materials, etc. (you can look on the government website to see recommendations both for shelter-at-home and go-bag contents.)
Most injuries in earthquakes happen when things fall from above on people. Don’t run out of your building during the shaking! When you do go out, wear a helmet (you do have a bicycle helmet, right?) and look around to check that any roof material or building facades are not falling. Also check for electrical wires! In Japan, because of building codes, you are more likely to be safe inside during the shaking. Go under a table or other piece of sturdy furniture.
Speaking of furniture, most people are injured by tall pieces of furniture or things falling off shelves or out of the top shelves. For no money at all, you can put heavy things on the bottom shelves and light things on the top shelves. You can use a tension rod from Daiso to hold your books on higher shelves. You can use a skid-prevention mat on shelves with dishes or other small items. The general rule is that below a meter off the ground, things will most likely not fall and hurt you; the taller the shelf is, the more likely things are to fly off. You can also anchor your tall furniture using the rods they sell at home centers, or attaching them to the wall. You can find this type of information from the government website as well.
You might as well start doing this while you are thinking about it, and then you won’t have to worry about it any more!