So now it's almost two days since the big quake and all the important stuff like catching up on sleep, contacting everyone back home and in Japan to confirm that we and they are safe and sound has been taken care of. For some reason I don't really have any friends (or close friends with family) in the most affected areas so the personal impact of the quake is thankfully low.The "what now?" feeling is starting to come. The Salaryman family have stayed at home last night and we have so much foodstuff at home that we don't really need to venture out to scavenge and hunt for food, and in worst case me and Baby Sunshine could live off Mrs. Sunshine's boobies for a day or two.
On the "to do" list now is;
1. Put all the stuff back in order - mostly books and small stuff that has fallen off shelves that should be put back
2. Take out the "quake safe" stuff to help secure shelves and cabinets that we have bought earlier but never really gotten around to put to use
3. Have a serious discussion with Mrs. Sunshine about the "escape bag" that she has packed and put by the door "just in case, might come useful in other situations than a quake too" to find out more exactly what "other situations" she is planning to run away with the baby in
4. Be confused as to how to deal with tomorrow and whether I should pack myself on the train or huddle at home under a table
5. Rewatch Mad Max for inspiration on how to deal with a worst case scenario and consider getting a dog since that is a staple companion for any post-apocalyptic scenario
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10 comments:
It has to be the right dog, some kind of mongrel that's big enough to scare away the zombies.
One more consideration with the nuke-plants: emigrate? Certainly on my mind here in Tokyo with wife and child.
Make sure you locate some potassium-iodide! My longer explanation is here, and I'll include a picture soon: http://hanlonsrzr.blogspot.com/2011/03/if-theres-meltdown-and-on-shore-winds.html
Who woulda thunk nuclear power plants on massive fault lines could be a problem?
You need to build a proper underground bunker complex - oh hang on, perhaps not such a good idea. But stock up on water, canned food, weapons, fuel, etc. Take notes while watching Mad Max.
They say there is a Mad Max 4 in the making.
I'm going to make a disaster kit myself this week. Although I'll probably die in the Nankai earthquake/tsunami before I use it.
Glad you and your family are safe. It's strange how normal everyone in my office is. We're in Shikoku but not one mention all day.
"Have a serious discussion with Mrs. Sunshine about the "escape bag""
Jesus, with the Volcanoes and Earthquakes you'd think this were some kind of sci-fi CGI/FX mega Summer movie....keep safe and god bless for the SPCA link!!
Saraf - Yeah, you're completely right. Has to be some adorable mongrel that can be both really cute and scary when it wants to!
Mr. S - Thanks for the tip, that sounds like something that might be safe to get
Aimless - Yeah, I could always build an underground torture bunker to use for leisure during times of peace and as a shelter during quakes and nuclear winter!
Mad Mel - Mel Gibson against "the Christ killing jews" maybe?
Hanta - Shikoku, yeah, must be a bit abstract to you guys since you hardly felt it
Chris - True, the amount of natural disasters recently have been a bit too much for one year, don't thank me for the link, I just saw that Jen B had posted it so drop a comment there and I'm sure she'll appreciate that someone found it useful :) Anyone who cares about animal is fundamentally a good person, that's what I believe
How does this person think?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=136xruSwlms
I wasn't there for the earthquake, but you might find my observations from two months later to be of interest. I just published Japan's Tipping Point: Crucial Choices in the Post-Fukushima World as a short ebook and hope you will take a look at it. A paperback will be available soon. For info, see www.markpendergrast.com. I could email you a review copy. Here's an overview:
Japan's Tipping Point is a small book on a huge topic. In the post-Fukushima era, Japan is the "canary in the coal mine" for the rest of the world. Can Japan radically shift its energy policy, become greener, more self-sufficient, and avoid catastrophic impacts on the climate? Mark Pendergrast arrived in Japan exactly two months after the Fukushima meltdown. This book is his eye-opening account of his trip and his alarming conclusions.
Japan is at a crucial tipping point. A developed country that must import all of its fossil fuel, it can no longer rely on nuclear power, following the massive earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011. Critically acclaimed nonfiction writer Mark Pendergrast went to Japan to investigate Japan's renewable energy, Eco-Model Cities, food policy, recycling, and energy conservation, expecting to find innovative, cutting edge programs.
He discovered that he had been naive. The Japanese boast of their eco-services for eco-products in eco-cities. Yet they rely primarily on imported fossil fuel and nuclear power, live in energy-wasteful homes, and import 60% of their food. That may be changing in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Maybe. But as Pendergrast documents, Japan lags far behind Europe, the United States, and even (in some respects) China in terms of renewable energy efforts. And Japan is mired in bureaucracy, political in-fighting, indecision, puffery, public apathy, and cultural attitudes that make rapid change difficult.
Yet Japan is also one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with friendly, resilient people who can, when motivated, pull together to accomplish incredible things.
As an island nation, Japan offers a microcosmic look at the problems facing the rest of the globe. And as Japan tips, so may the world.
Mark Pendergrast, the author of books such as For God, Country and Coca-Cola, Uncommon Grounds, and Inside the Outbreaks, entertains as he enlightens. As he wrote in Japan's Tipping Point: "The rest of this account might seem a strange combination of critical analysis, travelogue, absurdist non-fiction, and call to action. It might be called 'Mark’s Adventures in Japanland: Or, Apocalyptic Visions in a Noodle Shop.'"
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