The first of September is Disaster Prevention Day. In a country where volcanoes erupt and a major earthquake is decades overdue, perhaps preventing disaster is impossible. But preparing for it is not.
The well-prepared household has 8 liters of water on hand for each member of the family, dried food enough for three days, a first aid kit, flashlights, emergency blankets and other assorted supplies. They are boxed together and stored near an exit, with smaller kits of water and rations kept near each bed.
On Disaster Prevention Day, officials and citizens band together to enact a mock disaster. Everyone gets to practice with fire extinguishers, banadaging wounds, carrying litters of injured patients. This year 5.5 million people around Japan participated in these events.
So if a disaster occurs, since we can’t prevent one, we can at least be prepared.
