There鈥檚 a 70 percent chance a major earthquake will directly strike Tokyo in the next 30 years. With over 13 million residents who speak many different languages facing threats ranging from falling debris to stampeding crowds to freezing weather,听communicating听preparedness guidelines that鈥檙e听simple to follow, wide ranging and, most importantly, effective is a huge undertaking. But, with its new Disaster Preparedness Guide, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has achieved that.听
Unlike most survival manuals, this guide provides听realistic advice for real people in plausible situations. It won鈥檛 teach you how to catch a moose in a deadfall trap if you happen to find yourself stranded in the arctic with only a bobby pin and a bad attitude, but it will show you how to use newspapers for warmth, make a stove out of soda cans, or splint a broken limb with plastic wrap. And it covers situations faced across the world鈥攕tuff like torrential rain, mud slides, terrorist attacks, and even the outbreak of infectious disease.听Released late last year, the guide is being distributed free to citizens and has also been made available online. You can听. Bonus:听it includes a听manga-style听comic.
Here鈥檚 what it can teach you about survival, no matter where you live.
Cover Your Head
Throughout the guide, you鈥檒l find illustrations of people holding bags, buckets, jackets, and even duvets over their heads. You don鈥檛 wear a helmet to bed or in the office, but in an earthquake or other disaster, falling objects become as much a risk to a city dweller听as they are to a rock climber on the wall. Improvising head protection with anything you have on hand is a great idea.
The Importance of Planning
You鈥檒l find similar advice in any worthwhile survival guide. But it鈥檚 worth repeating because it鈥檚 so important. You need to have and know how to use potentially life saving equipment like fire extinguishers,听stockpile food, water, and other supplies, and develop a plan about where to meet family members should you be apart. Tokyo鈥檚 guide is unique in terms of the level of detail it delves into. It provides听guidance on听securing听furniture and other items inside your home and gives a detailed checklist of supplies to stockpile for a typical family, both at home and in a “go” bag.
Perhaps most interesting is the advice on division of duties for families. I hadn鈥檛 seen this kind of thing before, but it听makes total sense. Through pre-planning, families are encouraged to designate someone to perform vital tasks immediately, such at tackling a fire or securing an exit. This ensures that there鈥檚 a plan in place for these immediate needs to be handled right away, amid confusion and fear.听
Stockpiling Supplies, Daily
When I moved into my current house in also earthquake-prone Los Angeles, one of my first priorities was stockpiling water, food, sanitation stuff, and other emergency supplies. It was expensive and took a few days of dedicated work. The guide has better advice:
Until now, it was thought that stockpiling emergency supplies was special and involved preparing items not normally used such as ship biscuits and flashlight headbands. As such, there are probably many people who gave up, believing that managing and maintaining a stockpile was difficult. However, the 鈥渄aily stockpile鈥 method allows you to easily create an emergency stash just by buying a little more of the food and essentials that you normally use on a daily basis.听If you live alone and often shop at convenience stores, you probably don鈥檛 have a week鈥檚 supply of food in your refrigerator. Try purchasing a little more of your favorite items such as instant noodles, heat-and-eat food, snacks, and beer at the convenience store to build up your stock.
The approach that Tokyo recommends is almost a 180-degree turn, in that it simply advises听adding a little extra to your routine shopping.听Hundreds of dollars in long-shelf-life food may seem an unnecessary burden on many people, but buying a couple extra packages of the staple food you consume already to your weekly shopping is both low-cost and low-effort. Rotating it ensures it doesn鈥檛 expire. And who can鈥檛 get behind a practical reason to buy more beer?
Stay Warm And Safe with Trash
Hey, it works. Shoving wadded up newspaper inside a jacket or other outerwear is one of the easiest ways to create trapped air space from found items. And trapped air space is insulation. As the听guide听notes, bubble wrap, aluminum foil, cardboard, and Styrofoam can work too. The last two are most effective for creating a buffer between听you听and the cold ground at night. And, the guide has further advice:
In the event of a disaster, avoiding injury is critical. A disaster-stricken area may be strewn with rubble and听puddles of water, and might听be harder to walk through than you can imagine. In order to avoid injury from听stepping on stray听nails and other sharp materials, you should learn in advance how to protect your feet.听The guide recommends placing something hard and penetration-resistant, like a wooden board, under your shoes, and tying or wrapping it on with string, tape, or plastic wrap.
Kill Flies
They spread disease! Sanitation is one of the oft-overlooked practicalities about realistic survival. This should work as well everyday as it will in a disaster. Our takeaway? Stockpile sake.听
Change the Size of a听Battery
You鈥檙e going to need flashlights and battery operated radios, maybe even other battery-powered听devices. You can鈥檛 make a big battery smaller, but you can make a small battery bigger.听To change a AA into a D,听match the length of the AA with a non-conductive material to a diameter of 3.4cm (1 1/3-inch), then add length to the battery by crumpling aluminum foil and placing it underneath.听
Fry Fish
You know, if you have fish and you're hungry.听The guide shows you how to construct a stove from soda cans, fueled by vegetable oil. In a pinch, you can use a simple filled with denatured alcohol or kerosene.
Make a听Backpack
Need to carry jugs of water听or other heavy objects over distance? All you need is the听pair of pants you're wearing,听and some string.听
Return to Normal Life
Uniquely, the guide听includes specifics on filing insurance claims, applying for jobs, obtaining damage assessments, and asking for loans. I鈥檓 not aware of any other city, region, or country that does that with such specificity, but this at least highlights the need to learn about the requirements for听an insurance claim听ahead of time and to secure the necessary documentation in a safe or go bag. At the very minimum, you should have copies of IDs and passports, bank details, insurance certificates, and photo documentation of more expensive items like works of art, vehicles, and jewelry.听