Preparing for an earthquake

Natural disasters force people to respect nature and to depend on each other.

Transcript

Recently my wife and I had our house checked for resistance to earthquakes. Inspectors discovered some weak points in the structure, and we had those weaknesses fixed. Now our house is stronger, but no house is safe in a major earthquake. It's a little unnerving to know that where we live a very large earthquake could happen at any time.

On January 17th, 1995, at 5:46 a.m. the Great Hanshin Earthquake destroyed parts of the city of Kobe. After the disaster I saw the ruined city with my own eyes. When public transportation into Kobe was still impossible, I was one of many volunteers who carried supplies into the city by backpack.

After more ten years I'm still haunted by memories of fallen buildings and thousands of dazed and exhausted survivors camping out in parks and playgrounds. On the other hand, after that earthquake more than a million people volunteered to help. I saw many young people who were delivering supplies by motorcycle or cooking, babysitting, and giving free haircuts to survivors.

People in Japan know that a natural disaster can strike any part of the country at any time. When we consider the devastation that an earthquake can cause, we stand in awe of the power of nature and we realize how helpless we are. We can prepare a little, but the only real comfort is in our confidence that after the next disaster people will help each other again. (241 words)