I grabbed my son and ran outside. There was a woman with a young child jumping rope. No one else was running outside. What should I do? I didn't want to panic and freak out my son. I calmly told him, there might be an earthquake like the one we felt the other night. He remembered the gentle, but strange, shake. After a minute or two, I felt a bit ridiculous and we headed back inside to finish gathering our stuff. We gathered much quicker than usual and left to meet our friends.
At the park, I asked the other moms about the alert. They explained that the alert sounds if an earthquake is a 5.0 or stronger. It is intended to sound before the earthquake hits, but often happens during the shaking. Sometimes the alarm sounds and nothing is felt, but rarely. Well, I was on edge all day.
It turns out that there was some complex reason for the alert being triggered that wasn't a 5.0 or worse earthquake. It wasn't a false alarm, just complicated. So much stress for no real reason.
My uncle was in Tokyo when they had the big earthquake and resulting tsunami that was catastrophic to the Fukushima region in 2011. The stories from him, other friends, and the media have always scared me. Earthquakes are a common reality here, not usually big earthquakes like that one, but we've felt at least 10 small tremors since we arrived at the end of August.
The same night as the alarm, we had a 4.0 earthquake that woke both my husband and me up at 1:00 in the morning. My son, for some random reason, had already crawled in bed with us, so I just held him tightly as we swayed back and forth. The little guy didn't even wake up. Since that earthquake, I've been a little more than shaken (pardon the pun). I've been researching emergency kits and what the contents should be, as well as asking around how others are prepared for a big emergency.
I was shocked that every mom I asked said they have a bag packed in a closet near the front door, and they have a solid plan for what they will do in an emergency. I am more used to the "yeah, we really should put a kit together" mentality versus the "we are prepared" statement. I started pestering my husband about it and asking more and more questions.
I finally took the bull by the horns and went to the hardware store to buy a kit myself. It wasn't ever going to happen if I left it up to him. He's busy and not nearly as bothered by the quakes as I am. I rode my bike to Shimachu and asked the first employee that I saw where the emergency kits were. He stared at me blankly until I showed him the Google Translate on my phone. (Always!!! The blank stare of misunderstanding.) He took me to the emergency kit aisle. After perusing several kits, I chose one that would fit our needs. I also grabbed some extra items, specifically food.
The pack includes: a blanket, an inflatable neck pillow, heat packs, flashlight/radio combo, large water container, face masks, wipes, sanitizer, garbage bags, portable toilet, tarp, Mylar hood, large insulated bag, food pack heating system, gloves, and raincoat.
I added a mini emergency kit that we had laying around. It contains a water bottle, aluminum blanket, flashlight, and whistle.
The food I stuck in there were 6 packs of rice (two servings in each pack), mochi, and 4 cans of tuna that don't require a can opener. At some point I will add some energy bars and candy bars.
Other things we are planning on adding soon: lighter, slippers, lantern, batteries, water, tissues, knife, towel, pen and paper, as well as some cash. They also recommend having a change of clothes, which may or may not happen.
We now have a kit in the closet near the front door that brings me a lot of peace of mind. I have outlined a plan with my husband about where we will meet if we have to evacuate. I'm feeling a little bit calmer about the whole topic.
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