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发表于 2011-9-5 09:04:21
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VOX POPULI: Preparedness trumps luck in natural catastrophes
"Tsunami Taisaku Iroha Karuta," a collection of proverbs introduced more than half a century ago in Iwate Prefecture, contains a bundle of practical wisdom on how to protect oneself in the event of a tsunami. Here are some examples of survival tips from "Tsunami Taisaku Iroha Karuta." : "If you don't know what to do, just flee." "The outgoing tide is more powerful than the incoming tide." "Never let your guard down until all watches and alerts have been withdrawn." "Preparedness trumps luck."
The truth of this last bit of wisdom was realized at Kamaishi-Higashi Junior High School and Unosumai Elementary School in Kamaishi,Iwate Prefecture, during the March 11 tsunami. The water surged to the third floor of these two schools, which stood side-by-side. There were nearly 600 students in the buildings when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, but all escaped to safety.
As soon as the kids evacuated the buildings, they took off for higher ground about 1 kilometer away, everyone staying together. When they saw the tsunami racing toward them, they ran farther up the hill without awaiting word from their teachers. About 10 minutes later, the tsunami swallowed both school buildings. It wasn't luck that saved them. The kids were prepared and trained, thanks to the schools' thorough disaster-safety education programs.
According to a story that ran Sept. 1 in the vernacular Asahi Shimbun, educators are now focusing on training schoolchildren to "think on their own" to survive natural disasters. Miyako Elementary School in Iwate Prefecture reportedly initiated a program designed to hone students' judgment and make them more prepared to help one another. "The (kids') ability to protect their own lives and the lives of their friends is developed through their day-to-day play activities and learning," the Miyako principal said. I fully agree.
I heard that safety drills being conducted during this year's Disaster Prevention Week (until Sept. 5) are being taken earnestly. "Tatami no ue no suiren," which means "practicing swimming on dry land," is a Japanese idiom that denotes an activity that has no practical value in real life. Safety drills used to be dismissed as useless formalities, but they aren't anymore. I believe we have all learned valuable lessons from the March 11 disaster.
Our immediate concern is over the possibility of a powerful typhoon. If an earthquake that strikes suddenly is like a lethal sword attack from behind, a typhoon is perhaps a frontal diagonal slash. The warning that "preparedness trumps luck" applies to all catastrophes.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 2
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