Home   >   City Life   >   Tokyo is at persistent risk of a disaster. Prepare your family.

Tokyo is at persistent risk of a disaster. Prepare your family.

By on October 31, 2023

Japan predicts a 70% chance of an earthquake directly hitting Tokyo in the next 30 years.

Do you ever wonder how your family would escape if an earthquake shook your building or your home was engulfed in flames?  How would you cope if your family was trapped in your house without power or water?

How about if a chemical spill in your community forced you to evacuate to a shelter with your children?

In the event of a widespread disaster, such as a hurricane or severe flooding, emergency responders might not be able to reach you for several days. How well you prepare and how much you practice will determine how successfully you deal with and recover from disasters.

It’s absolutely essential that parents become their own advocates in terms of emergency preparedness, and learn how to take care of themselves.

If you aren’t prepared, keeping your children calm when fleeing your home or being housed in a shelter will present big challenges.

Here are several ways to prepare for a disaster:

1. Think about how your family’s needs should be addressed in an emergency.

Find 10 minutes of quiet time, and write out what you need to take care of your family.

Devise a system to signal for help if phones and electricity are down. Consider purchasing a generator for emergency power.

2. Pack an emergency kit and Go Bag stocked with supplies tailored to your family’s specific needs. Store them in an accessible location so you can easily grab them as you’re fleeing your home.

Your kit should contain enough non-perishable food, water, medication and supplies to sustain your family for at least three days. You don’t need to collect everything at once; pick up items while grocery shopping, and set them aside in a backpack.

Leaving your home is a high trauma, high stress situation. In an emergency, little things make a huge difference, so having a box of food or a favorite stuffed animal in your kit is a great idea, because you’re bringing along an element from home.

3. Plan for disasters that could happen in your neighbourhood.

Emergency preparedness is about giving thought to the unthinkable. Fire is the most likely risk that families are going to face.

Ask yourself: Do you have hydro lines or electrical towers above your house that might fall on it? Are there propane manufacturers or suppliers in your neighborhood? Look at both man-made risks as well as weather or acts of nature, and make specific plans about what you would do if that actually happened.

4. Develop an escape route in case of fire, and practice it with your family until it becomes instinctive.

There’s no point in saying, ‘We’re going to go out the back door’, then stack up all your recycling bins there because you forgot.’

Decide in advance where your family will meet up once outside.

Most important for parents? Stay calm. You need to take a breath, keep it together, because if you lose it, your kids are going to suck that up. 

5. Do some community outreach of your own.

If you don’t know your neighbors, now’s a really good chance to get to know them. Say, ‘If ever there’s an emergency, could you please check in on us?’

Read also:

Tokyo Guide to Disaster Preparedness

Tokyo Disaster Prevention Information

 

About TF Tribe

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *