Thirteen days after Japan was hit by a devastating earthquake which produced an equally ruinous 30 feet tsunami and pushed the island nation on the edge of a nuclear disaster, it seems like the worst is over, leaving behind a global example of what national preparedness should be like, along with several awe-inspiring accounts of individual courage and human resilience. The country that gave the world the word ‘tsunami’ is itself no stranger to natural disasters and has indeed, prepared itself well. Take a look at Japan’s quake-resistant buildings that may have swayed but did not collapse despite the magnitude of the quake. Constructed in strict accordance to building codes, Japan’s skyscrapers are fitted with extra steel bracing, hydraulic shock absorbers and rubber pads that make them some of the strongest buildings in the world. Similarly, tsunami warning signs and giant sea-walls dot the Japanese shoreline, allowing for quick evacuations that minimise the number of lives lost. Earthquake and tsunami drills are commonplace for citizens — thanks to the Government’s large-scale public education programme that has ensured that every Japanese knows how to best respond to a crisis such as this. Indeed, it was heartening to learn how teachers and students at a low-lying secondary school, perilously located half a mile from the sea responded to the disaster — after the earthquake, students had gathered in the playground for a headcount when they they saw the tsunami coming and within moments, the staff and students were at the near-by safe site. Not a single life was lost even though the school building was completely destroyed.
An extraordinary example of how important it is to be prepared for such eventualities, this incident also speaks volumes about the Japanese trait of putting community above the individual in a disciplined manner that is now being repeated across Japan’s tsunami-ravaged northern coastline. Take for example, Hadenya village — a small fishing hamlet that self-sustained itself for several days despite being entirely cut off from the rest of the country. It was not until Wednesday that the military was first able to reach survivors with aid and supplies. But by then villagers had successfully reorganised themselves to become a fully functional, entirely self-reliant community. Such stories now abound in the quake-ravaged nation where despite large-scale devastation there has been no fall in civil standards. It is hard to find a single photograph of survivors howling or beating their chest. There are no reports of stores and homes being looted, as is common in such situations. The media has not indulged in sensationalisation. No fear-mongering; only an organised calm that has held the world in awe.
An extraordinary example of how important it is to be prepared for such eventualities, this incident also speaks volumes about the Japanese trait of putting community above the individual in a disciplined manner that is now being repeated across Japan’s tsunami-ravaged northern coastline. Take for example, Hadenya village — a small fishing hamlet that self-sustained itself for several days despite being entirely cut off from the rest of the country. It was not until Wednesday that the military was first able to reach survivors with aid and supplies. But by then villagers had successfully reorganised themselves to become a fully functional, entirely self-reliant community. Such stories now abound in the quake-ravaged nation where despite large-scale devastation there has been no fall in civil standards. It is hard to find a single photograph of survivors howling or beating their chest. There are no reports of stores and homes being looted, as is common in such situations. The media has not indulged in sensationalisation. No fear-mongering; only an organised calm that has held the world in awe.
