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Lister100
Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 106
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 Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:18 am Post subject: |
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Never would have guessed I would get to experience a natural disaster like this. Its pretty incredible how few deaths there were from a quake of this magnitude, if one is still the standing count.
Good advice on the electric poles. I never even looked, but on the news I saw shots of poles with dangling wires everywhere.
I'm not sure about a Tokyo quake, but I did hear on the news that Tokyo was the last major earthquake of these dimensions. Maybe it was 1995 and I think they said it was even bigger. Can't really speak Japanese yet so there is a lot guess work in my watching the news.
When was Kobe? |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:36 am Post subject: |
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| Kobe was in 1995, just had their 10 year anniversary. |
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Lister100
Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 106
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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Fukuoka's falling in the sea!
These earthquakes are exciting but they're starting to mess with my nerves. I just got another aftershock (12AM about) and I'm beginning to feel that the ground is trembling all the time(even when its not). |
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Synne
Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Posts: 269
Location: Tohoku
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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Niigata was worse but this one will definitely register as a major one in Japan.
I felt that Niigata one pretty good, my class went crazy, books and materials everwhere...
...the kids looked as though this was the most natural of things for them. |
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Tonester
Joined: 24 Mar 2004
Posts: 145
Location: Ojiya, Niigata Pref
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 12:23 am Post subject: |
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| As a victim of that Niigata quake in the actual epicentre of it (I live in Ojiya) I tell you all that it was not a very pleasant experience! I hope everyone in Fukuoka is Ok. My heart goes out to you all. |
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Lover
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 5:14 am Post subject: |
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| Albright wrote: |
Hi. I'm from California. 
If practical, get outside, and away from any trees or telephone poles or cliffsides (both above and below; the last major earthquake in my area caused a landslide that took out a few homes but fortunately caused no deaths). If you're stuck inside, the best logic to use is to assume the roof is going to collapse on you, then make a quick assessment of something to get under or next to that will not collapse; things like big, heavy desks or tables are good. Failing that, try to get near a beam or an interior wall, as this is where the roof will be the strongest. If you have to be near a window, face away from it; glass shards in your back are better than glass shards in your face. Sometimes people will tell you to get into a door frame, but this isn't that great of a place to be compared to under a heavy oak desk. I've heard that stairwells are also safe places to be, but I'm not so sure about that (especially if there's a panicked crowd trying to leave the building).
If the quake was a big one, prepare for the possibility of a tsunami; head inland and uphill until the danger is over. |
Thank you Albright! I quoted you because I think the infor you provided is very important. I agree about not being sure about getting under a stairway. What happens if the stairway itself falls on you?
I think the infor is important however someone like me might have trouble getting to a safe place. If I were in an Earthquake maybe I would freeze from fear. I have never exprienced an Earthquake and so the thought frighten me. Watching the news made my legs feel like jello.
How is everyone coping with this? I am scared and I haven't even left yet for Japan! |
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wintersweet
Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Posts: 345
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:02 am Post subject: |
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| Lover wrote: |
[color=white]
If I were in an Earthquake maybe I would freeze from fear. I have never exprienced an Earthquake and so the thought frighten me. Watching the news made my legs feel like jello.
How is everyone coping with this? I am scared and I haven't even left yet for Japan! |
And you'd probably be OK, at least if you're in a country with decent building standards. Don't worry about it--a lot of earthquakes are so fast that you don't have time to move anyway.
I moved to a seismically active area about 4 years ago and you just cope with it. In a way it's less stressful than living in a tornado zone or something--it's practically over as soon as it's started, unlike all the worry and anxiety in tornado season.
Of course, I haven't experienced any major quakes yet. But you probably won't either. |
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Albright
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 39
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 9:34 am Post subject: |
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| Lover wrote: |
| If I were in an Earthquake maybe I would freeze from fear. I have never exprienced an Earthquake and so the thought frighten me. Watching the news made my legs feel like jello. |
To tell the truth, I'm pretty frightened by earthquakes myself, but I find it's a post-crisis fear (or whatever the term is); during the earthquake, it's actually quite exciting, but afterwards, I'm like, "Oh my God, that was an earthquake!" That's my experience at least; yours may vary.
Really, though, you shouldn't be afraid. Keep in mind that the Japanese (just like us Californians) are literally expecting earthquakes to happen, so building engineers have become quite adept at making buildings that can stay in one piece during an earthquake, and building regulations will be quite strict. Part of the trick is to actually make the building be "loose" and wobble with the earth, instead of being stiff and resisting movement; like the branch that was strong enough to bend. Just as people in tornado-prone areas build houses with storm basements, people in earthquake-prone places build flexible earthquake-resistant buildings. The fact that there has only been one death in this rather severe earthquake is testament to that.
Earthquakes will "feel" different depending on their cause, in terms of how the Earth's tectonic plates are moving against each other. Minor ones may just feel like there's a large truck passing by outside or something -- the vast majority of earthquakes are under 4, and you probably won't even feel those. Sometimes there's quick ones which just feel like a sudden jolt; if you've ever been rear-ended while stopped at a stoplight (as I have), you get the idea. And sometimes there will be longer ones which will feel like you're standing on a wobbly card table while someone is shaking it; it's only really with these ones where you'll even have the time to try to get to shelter. It's the longer ones that do more damage...
By the way, I told you what to do during an earthquake, but here's a good idea to do before one; pack an "Earthquake Kit" with a few gallon jugs of drinking water (might want to replace these now and then), a first-aid kit, a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, and some spare batteries. If you live in a house with a gas doohickey in the outside, also pack a wrench; after major quakes, it's a good idea to turn the gas off to your house until you can assure that all your gas fixtures are in place and not leaking. (Sometimes water heaters will be pulled away from the wall and such.)
With regards to QueenSerenity's post... good thinking. I live in a relatively rural place; there is only one commercial building in my hometown that surpasses two stories. But for those in the city, that would be something to consider.
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| In a way it's less stressful than living in a tornado zone or something--it's practically over as soon as it's started, unlike all the worry and anxiety in tornado season. |
I respectfully disagree... If a tornado is bearing down upon you, you will probably be able to see and hear it before it comes and therefore get the heck out of the way! |
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jar
Joined: 31 Jan 2005
Posts: 39
Location: UK
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:27 pm Post subject: Mad |
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Mad to hear about the earthquake in Fukuoka. Does anyone know if City Hall was at all damaged or any of the local schools in and around Tenjin?
I moved back to the UK from Fukuoka in August and I'm missing it like hell! |
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whatthefunk
Joined: 05 Aug 2003
Posts: 130
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Lister100 wrote: |
Fukuoka's falling in the sea!
These earthquakes are exciting but they're starting to mess with my nerves. I just got another aftershock (12AM about) and I'm beginning to feel that the ground is trembling all the time(even when its not). |
Yeah, I know what ya mean. Living in Fukuoka too... Anytime anything rumbles the ground, I think its an earthquake.
My school was trashed...spent two days cleaning it up. Big cracks in the walls, supports bending a little more than they should. In Daimyo (where my school is) theres alot of damage. Theyre tearing down a whole block it looks like. Some good damage... Anyone see the pictures on NHK of the windows falling?? Surprized no one good killed.. |
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wintersweet
Joined: 18 Jan 2005
Posts: 345
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
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| Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2005 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Albright wrote: |
I respectfully disagree... If a tornado is bearing down upon you, you will probably be able to see and hear it before it comes and therefore get the heck out of the way! |
What I'm talking about is the half a dozen times every tornado season when there is a tornado warning and there's not a lot to do about it besides stay in your house and worry.
Anyway, obviously what bothers you more depends on the individual. |
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Captain Onigiri
Joined: 20 Jan 2005
Posts: 103
Location: fly-over land
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2005 4:34 am Post subject: |
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| I've lived in both an earthquake zone (Alaska) and a tornado zone (Missouri). Granted, the earthquakes I experienced in Alaska were small but for sheer terror a tornado beats an earthquake because of the anticipation. An earthquake (at least the couple I experienced) you clutched the counter or something and said, "What!? O, crap! that was an earthquake!" But a tornado. Nothing has the pee your pants power like being outside in the late spring, taking a walk or gardening or something and turning around because it got cloudy and realising that a big bank of greenish tinged storm clouds are moving in and just as you think, "mmm... I should go in and check the weather," all the civil defense sirens go off. There is nothing like huddling in a root cellar and hearing trees come crashing down and wondering if they just landed on the house. My parents' farm still has bits of insulation and aluminum trailer siding from where one hit a town 14 miles away when I was a little kid. That roar they make that sounds like a freight train really is true. It sounds like it's coming right at you. I might change my mind if I ever experience a really big earthquake but right now I'll take an earthquake over a tornado every time. |
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Lover
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2005 5:57 am Post subject: |
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Thanks so much Albright for the sound advice! I had planned to stock up on supplies in case of a natural disaster. Or any kind of disaster for that matter.
I sympathize with the person who wrote about thinking the ground is saking even when it is not. The person must be under a lot of stress. I would to in the same situation. I just hope the person can find a way to relieve the stress. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2005 6:41 am Post subject: |
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Wow, that was a great description there, Captain Onigiri!
Coming from the UK I've thankfully never experienced a tornado (there was a big hurricane in 1987 or so that did a lot of damage, but I somehow managed to sleep right through that), but I did see a couple of documentaries on TV, and they really do look terrifying. There was one clip where a family (luckily enough with video camera - maybe they were non-scientist "storm chasers" or something silly, risking their lives for some sellable footage) got "chased" in their car by a tornado and had to seek shelter under an overpass...the tornado went right over them and was deafening...not sure if it was a real biggie but it sure looked like it could've flown you to a different zip code without the need of a plane ticket no problem. Scary stuff!
But at least with an approaching tornado you would get a chance to say your prayers and prepare to meet your maker, and he/she/it could well hear you above all the noise and make it veer away from you at the last minute. Not much chance of that with an earthquake that puts tons of concrete on your head in an instant (LOL!  ) if you are unlucky enough to live in a high-risk area and/or a susceptible building!
I guess that generally earthquakes cause (have caused) far more fatalities than tornadoes. 
Just making conversation here!  |
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Lover
Joined: 14 Feb 2005
Posts: 86
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| Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2005 7:01 am Post subject: |
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| fluffyhamster wrote: |
I guess that generally earthquakes cause (have caused) far more fatalities than tornadoes.
Just making conversation here! |
I don't know about that. I have been in a tornadoe once. Well not in a tornadoe but close to being killed by one. We were living in Texas at the time, and a tornado came by and took the roof off. It is the anticipation of being killed that makes a tornado so terrifying.
As far as earthquakes causing more fatalities then tornadoes: Only the really big Earthquakes cause more fatalities. One time in Kansas two tornadoes came through the same town and cause just as much fatalities as a large earthquake.
I wrote that I had never been in an Earthquake, I need to correct myself. I have been in many tremors while living in Japan but I have not experienced a major Earthquake. I got so used to tremors that I would sleep better.
I don't really want to experience neither an Earthquake nor a tornado but if I had to pick one, I guess, I would pick an Earthquake for the reasons that I believe Albright gave. Buildings in Earthquake prone areas are made to withstand the shaking. |
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