By Anastacia Mott Austin
Sitting on top of four converging tectonic plates, Japan knows a thing or two about earthquakes. The country has experienced 83 earthquakes intense enough to cause damages and injuries since March of 1996.
Japan is considered the center of research for earthquake warnings. A system is currently in place that warns residents of possible impending tsunamis after quakes.
The newest development has officials from the Meteorological Agency working with national broadcast companies to create a warning system that could give people as much as 30 seconds warning. The new system will take effect in October.
Thirty seconds may not seem like much time, but for anyone who has experienced a major earthquake, seconds can seem like hours. Experts say it would give people enough time to pull their cars to the side of the road, evacuate elevators, and move away from windows or unstable structures.
"If major tremors come suddenly, you will not be able to move. You might not even be able to shelter under a desk. You will not be able to do anything…" said Yoshinori Sugihara, to reporters at The Japan Times. Sugihara works for the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association, which is developing the system. "That shows how important the 10-second or 20-second preparation time is…school children will be able to shelter under their desks in classrooms if they have about five seconds. In fact, it is believe that if we have 10 seconds to prepare for major tremors, we can reduce the number of deaths cause by quakes significantly."
Current technology enables seismologists to detect preliminary tremors that occur before the major shaking of an earthquake, and can quickly notify television and radio outlets.
"If we can catch the preliminary tremors at one location and calculate the focus and size of the earthquake in five seconds, we will be able to issue warnings probably in 10 seconds, "said Makoto Saito, a representative of the Meteorological Agency. "That means if the major tremors hit certain areas 30 seconds after the preliminary tremors, for instance, that system will make it possible to tell people about the major tremors 20 seconds before."
One downside to the new system is that people will have to be watching television or listening to the radio in order to receive the warnings. However, mobile phone companies in Japan can transmit the warnings as well, and new technology is being developed to create an alarm device that can be used at home, called "The EQ Guard."
Seismologists in other countries, such as the United States, are taking a wait-and-see approach. The concern over such a system is its potential to cause panic and chaos in an emergency situation.
"The implementation in Japan is most important to us as a test of the concept," said Richard Allen, a seismologist at the University of California, Berkeley, to reporters. "We are particularly interested to see how the public reacts to the information and who starts to make use of it and how."
To avoid possible panic scenarios, the NHK, Japan’s primary broadcasting system, has been airing promos with detailed instructions about how to react during a warning.
Officials are quick to point out that the warning system isn’t a replacement for effective earthquake preparedness.
"This new service is not something that stops earthquakes. You have to prepare for earthquakes in your daily life and think about what you will do when major tremors come," said Saito to reporters. "With that kind of preparation, this earthquake warning service will be used by people effectively."
Earthquake Preparedness at ... Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Sitting on top of four converging tectonic plates, Japan knows a thing or two about earthquakes. The country has experienced 83 earthquakes intense enough to cause damages and injuries since March of 1996.
Japan is considered the center of research for earthquake warnings. A system is currently in place that warns residents of possible impending tsunamis after quakes.
The newest development has officials from the Meteorological Agency working with national broadcast companies to create a warning system that could give people as much as 30 seconds warning. The new system will take effect in October.
Thirty seconds may not seem like much time, but for anyone who has experienced a major earthquake, seconds can seem like hours. Experts say it would give people enough time to pull their cars to the side of the road, evacuate elevators, and move away from windows or unstable structures.
"If major tremors come suddenly, you will not be able to move. You might not even be able to shelter under a desk. You will not be able to do anything…" said Yoshinori Sugihara, to reporters at The Japan Times. Sugihara works for the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association, which is developing the system. "That shows how important the 10-second or 20-second preparation time is…school children will be able to shelter under their desks in classrooms if they have about five seconds. In fact, it is believe that if we have 10 seconds to prepare for major tremors, we can reduce the number of deaths cause by quakes significantly."
Current technology enables seismologists to detect preliminary tremors that occur before the major shaking of an earthquake, and can quickly notify television and radio outlets.
"If we can catch the preliminary tremors at one location and calculate the focus and size of the earthquake in five seconds, we will be able to issue warnings probably in 10 seconds, "said Makoto Saito, a representative of the Meteorological Agency. "That means if the major tremors hit certain areas 30 seconds after the preliminary tremors, for instance, that system will make it possible to tell people about the major tremors 20 seconds before."
One downside to the new system is that people will have to be watching television or listening to the radio in order to receive the warnings. However, mobile phone companies in Japan can transmit the warnings as well, and new technology is being developed to create an alarm device that can be used at home, called "The EQ Guard."
Seismologists in other countries, such as the United States, are taking a wait-and-see approach. The concern over such a system is its potential to cause panic and chaos in an emergency situation.
"The implementation in Japan is most important to us as a test of the concept," said Richard Allen, a seismologist at the University of California, Berkeley, to reporters. "We are particularly interested to see how the public reacts to the information and who starts to make use of it and how."
To avoid possible panic scenarios, the NHK, Japan’s primary broadcasting system, has been airing promos with detailed instructions about how to react during a warning.
Officials are quick to point out that the warning system isn’t a replacement for effective earthquake preparedness.
"This new service is not something that stops earthquakes. You have to prepare for earthquakes in your daily life and think about what you will do when major tremors come," said Saito to reporters. "With that kind of preparation, this earthquake warning service will be used by people effectively."
Earthquake Preparedness at ... Federal Emergency Management Agency U.S. Department of Homeland Security
