They say “it could happen any moment.” But March 11, 2011 2:46pm was that moment that lasted forever. That earthquake was massive. The tsunami and nuclear crises got most of the attention, but that earthquake was like a thief in the night. Blindsided. We all talk about the “big one” but if that epicenter was under Tokyo? Oh god. Point being, get you and your family prepared. Water. Food. Batteries. Solar chargers. Radio in case cell towers go out. Tent. Sleeping bags. Digital files on the cloud. Serious folks. This isn’t Y2K shit. Im more afraid of sea rise and earthquakes than isis
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Bushfires, floods and hurricanes in my case. I’ve also got mates who’ve lived in Christchurch, NZ for the last 10 years. The emergency kit is always prepped and regularly checked and replaced, First Aid skills kept sharp, copies of important docs kept online and on a USB stick in the GTFO bag.
It’s not a case of if, but when.
Earthquakes for me, but fortunately I live in a part of Japan which is not at much risk for tsunamis. But I’m glad I live on high ground anyway.
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The thing about japan is that they really really don’t like building on hills, consequently the streets run along the shore or river without going up the hills. Many hills have shrines on top, some are ancient burial sites, but there also seems to be a general taboo against developing real estate on hills. In some of the tsunami videos you see cars driving back and forth wildly, but none of the streets are pointed at the nearby hills. Some people tried to drive across fields or ran trying to reach the hills.
Earthquakes? Heck we have mansions perched overhanging cliffs in LA. In similar terrain in the US, the city grid would go up and down hills with hardly attention paid to changes in elevation.
Typically the Japanese don’t build on hills or mountains. Too much seismic activity, so, landslides. Plus that is where the gods live. So they don’t build there. Usually only for Temples and such.
Landslides are the reason. I once asked a civil engineer this very question. He said the underlying geology (giant slabs and boulders filled in with soil in most areas) just make it prohibitively expensive to stabilize. If you see stuff on mountainsides it’s because they were lucky enough to find stable bedrock.
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Oh, that does happen here too. But most people are smart enough not to.
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