Niigata earthquake

my friend in Shizuoka could feel it but said it wasn't a big deal.

Any explanations (other than stupidity) for so many evacuation centers not having the most basic of evacuation supplies (water, food, toilets)? Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I find it hard to imagine in a country where earthquakes are so frequent, that such simple things were not provided at places where they should have been.

Got a mild jolt (M=3) about 11:30pm ourselves up in Hokkaido. My kid had been watching typhoon damage a week ago, so yesterday was a chance to compare and to try explaining what earthquakes are and do. Last night he got to feel one.

I have a friend in Niigata, but I decided not to be one of those people to clog the phone lines. Nothing I could do by reaching him anyway, so I'm going to wait for a day and then send an email.

NTT asks users to stop calling quake-struck areas, sets up emergency message service
11:02am Tuesday, July 17

NTT East asked telephone users on Monday to refrain from making non-urgent telephone calls to earthquake-struck areas in and around Niigata Prefecture after switchboards became jammed.

The telephone operator said that users were having trouble connecting calls to some areas after the earthquake hit Niigata and Nagano prefectures shortly after 10 a.m.

NTT East has also set up an emergency voicemail service for telephone users in the 025 (Niigata) and 026 (Nagano) areas, allowing them to leave messages for callers.

Local residents should dial 171 and listen to the instructions. They will then be able to register their telephone numbers and record messages for those trying to call them. (Mainichi)

I don't think it's realistic to have mega facilities permanently set up across the country,<BR>but there defintitely should be portable loos, washing facilities, towels, bedding, <BR>etc that can be deployed as soon as they are required.

My students did a presentation on earthquake emergency plans and they said that most local governments will start supplying water, food etc on the third or fourth day after the event. That is why earthquake emergency information leaflets always state that each household must have enough supplies to last each person 3 days. Why they do this, I don't know.

I agree about the emergency resources. People being interviewed just kept saying over and over that there were no toilet facilities in the shelters and no water to even make formula for babies. Some meals were finally being made at about 9.30 or 10pm and some portaloos were begining to show up. There is water available from tankers now too, but they need it to keep coming. It's just such an amazingly slow reaction time considering how organised other things can be in this country. I'm not sure what good it is keeping three days worth of water in your house if it collapses and/or you have to move to a shelter and can't carry it.

Japan appears to be a "developed" nation from the outside, but the truth is that many people are living with very basic facilities (emergency services and medical included) here, and especially in the country towns. I really hope that those people in shelters get the help they need quickly.

Gima17, how was work. Are the raods and everything clear? Did the students come? Our students are on a break before exams so we don't know who has been affected yet, but I know there will be many because it's so close to the last big one that affected so many of our students and their families.

Glenski, I hope your friend in Niigata is OK. Is it Niigata City? A bunch of my students were there yesterday and I think that it is very likely your friend is fine. Also, I hope that was enough of an education for you kid and that he never has to experience anything bigger!

Take care

I'm more inland, so can't find any damage here. Will look for evidence in Ojiya tomorrow. The trains have special schedule and are running much slower than usual. Hope the damaged areas recover before winter.

over here in minakami (top of gunma) we felt it pretty strong (force 4 they say). no damage as far as i know but the shink was stopped briefly.

dharma,
Don't have the address at my fingertips, but he was unscathed in the earthquake that hit there a couple years ago, so I can only guess that he survived well this time, too.

Something that does need to be addressed is boosting tne capabilities of the mobile phone network.<BR>People will be relying on them to find people and to learn if people are ok.<BR>If the system gets jammed at midnight on New Year's Eve /Day. It's not up<BR>to the task of providing reliable reassurace in the event of an earthquake <BR>somewhere like Tokyo.