Survivors of Japan’s earthquake share stories of how their lives came crashing down on New Year’s Day
Authorities warned that the Jan 1 earthquake may be followed by other tremors — and Tuesday’s earthquake measuring higher on the Ritcher scale bore that out
On January 9, a magnitude six earthquake struck off the Sea of Japan coast, rattling the same part of the country where a huge tremor on New Year's Day and its aftershocks caused widespread destruction and killed more than 200 people. Tuesday’s earthquake, however, did not set off a tsunami warning by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
On January 1, Japan experienced a 7.5 magnitude earthquake with its epicentre near Noto on the Japan Sea Coast. The serene and quiet neighbourhoods of Ishikawa prefecture and its nearby areas felt a 4.9 magnitude aftershock, trapping people under the rubble of collapsed buildings. New Year is when the younger generation returns home to spend time with their elders, a time-honoured tradition.
For 33-year-old Seiko Tsuruta, a student at Kyoto University, it should have been a happy day to spend with her loved ones.
“I live in Takaoka city in Toyama, and we were there with my family and my husband's relatives when the earthquake hit us. It was New Year's Day, and all the relatives including small children were gathered at my grandmother-in-law's old house to exchange greetings. Suddenly, the house began to rattle and shake, and the tremors gradually grew louder. The TV broadcast an earthquake early warning message, and we learned that a major earthquake had occurred in the neighbouring prefecture of Ishikawa.”
“The tremors were the most violent I had ever experienced, and I could not immediately decide what to do. After the tremors subsided, we were calmly evacuated outside. Our neighbours had also come out of their homes and a passing driver asked us if she should go to an evacuation centre. We replied, "We also don't know (the situation),” Tsuruta recalled.
Her children were anxious — this was the first major earthquake they had experienced. “My son started to cry after so many tremors,” she said.
A frame on the wall scattering glass all over the room. Other than that, her family home did not face too much damage.
Others were not so lucky.
The 7.5 magnitude quake destroyed and toppled buildings, and caused a major blaze that razed down buildings and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula on Japan's main island Honshu. Ishikawa regional authorities released figures on January 9 showing that 202 people were confirmed dead in the New Year's Day disaster, AFP reported.
Several remain missing or untraced. Heavy snow in places complicated relief efforts. At the start of the week, almost 30,000 people were living in around 400 government shelters, some of which were packed and struggling to provide adequate food, water and heating. Almost 60,000 households were without running water and 15,600 had no electricity supply, the news agency stated.
According to pre- and post-earthquake data released by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, the cities of Wajima, Anamizu, Suzu and Notojima may have shifted to the west.
Abha Joshi, 25, who is studying MBA currently at the Graduate Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, was scared. Her messages on Facebook marked herself safe to inform her friends and family. “I am safe and sound,” she wrote although she was scared.
“I have been here for a year now and have experienced earthquakes thrice before this with a maximum tremor of 3 on the Richter scale, but this one was the most dangerous and we were immediately asked to evacuate our college. Once we were at the evacuation centre, we were taken care of properly,” she said via FB messenger.
Ishikawa resident artist Hirotake Imanishi was trying to get in touch with his students in Nakanoto town in Ishikawa prefecture. “I was in the Kansai region, and it was horrific to hear of an earthquake of this scale hitting my prefecture, with its epicentre in the Noto Peninsula. It is a very narrow peninsula and the main roads became impassable due to cracks and bumps. Relief supplies were nowhere to be found moments after the earthquake. Many of my friends in the disaster area still have their phones turned off to conserve battery power,” he said.
Although almost everyone was evacuated to elementary schools and community centres, with water trucks and food distribution, many were still waiting to be rescued from collapsed buildings, with power and cell phone service still down in some areas.
“Living in Japan, often called earthquake land, we get used to earthquakes. Kindergarten onwards we are taught earthquake and fire drills as often as possible,” said Hideko Towaji (45) a part-time worker in Osaka.
Yuichi Ono, Professor, Ph.D.(Geography) at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku, Sendai, said, “There is no safe zone in Japan, an earthquake can happen in any place. It has become a way of living with it."
"The Japanese government has in place all the necessary evacuation and first responders in place but the weather can also affect the rescue operations, as it can be seen in the current situation at Ishikawa with heavy snowfall affecting the rescue missions," he said, adding that their institute began training counsellors and doctors to help people after the rescue operations to deal with earthquake-related shocks and loss of life.
“We learned a lot from the March 11, 2011 earthquake. So this time many people were able to evacuate when they heard the very first Tsunami alarm,” Hideko, who was travelling to Tokyo, said. “The Shinkansen (bullet train) stopped for 30 minutes due to a power outage and I thought I would be stuck inside overnight, but we were there for less time. Luckily, I had a spare battery and some snacks and water with me, hence I could reach out to my husband and children," he added.
The 2011 earthquake happened in Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. The Japanese refer to it as the Great East Japan Earthquake.
For Mizuho Takahashi, a resident of Tokyo, earthquakes are now a normal occurrence. “We, Japanese, are used to earthquakes. I have experienced many earthquakes since I was a child and have been training for them. We have been taught evacuation drills since elementary school. When an earthquake occurs, we quickly hide under our desks. If we are outside, we check our surroundings and move to a larger area or a safe building. The government has taken measures to prepare for earthquakes and preparing us for tsunamis or avalanches,” said Mizuho.
“I'm used to small earthquakes. But it's scary when a large-scale earthquake like this happens," Takahashi added.
Meanwhile, the population must brace for further earthquakes. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning that earthquake-stricken areas are likely to experience powerful tremors with an intensity of upper five or more on the Japanese scale in February. JMA official Shinya Tsukada told a press conference that a quake as powerful as the 7.6-magnitude one on January 1 is less likely to take place, but there is continued seismic activity. He also warned of increased risk of building collapses and landslides, calling on people not to enter dangerous places when engaging in recovery efforts.
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