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Family members don’t always stay together! Set specific family rules for disaster preparedness.
Have you ever considered the case where all family members are in different locations when a major earthquake strikes? If disaster strikes when each of you is in a different location, such as at work, school, or home, discuss in advance how you can ensure the safety of you and your family and how you can contact each other smoothly.
3 minimum family rules to set in case of disaster
In 2021, there were over 2000 significant earthquakes; in 2022 and beyond, they could be much larger and more frequent. For example, if it happens while you are cooking on the first floor, you may be concerned about your family sleeping upstairs. If it occurs while you are at work, you may be concerned about your children at school.
This article provides three minimum decisions you should make in preparation for an earthquake if your family members are in separate locations. Please take a look at them for reference.
The moment a disaster occurs
Ensure that the family rule is “trust your family and put your own safety first.”
For example, if you are on the first floor and your family is on the second floor, rather than worrying and running up the stairs to the second floor, first secure your own safety on the first floor until the shaking stops. Also, if you are worried about your family and go looking for them, you may end up running late. Trust your family members, and each of you should act with your own safety as the top priority.
When the shaking stops
Decide in advance on several “means of communication in the event of a disaster.
During a disaster, voice communication on cell phones becomes unstable, and it may be difficult to reach family members. In addition, during a disaster, recharging your cell phone is also very important, so you want to avoid draining your battery by making repeated disconnected calls. In such cases, the free message services provided by telecommunication companies after a disaster strikes can be useful. Make sure your family knows how to use this service in normal times, and be prepared in case of emergency.
- Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171)
- Disaster emergency Board
- Disaster Emergency Message Board (web171)
Other social networking sites that you normally use, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, can also be effective means of keeping in touch with family members. Check out social networking platforms and free message services to keep in touch with family members in the event of a disaster.
If you cannot be reached
Let’s decide in advance “where and when the family will meet.
If family members are separately affected by the disaster and cannot keep in touch with each other, setting a rule with family members such as “meet at the XXX location of the 0000 evacuation site at 09:00 and 22:00” will increase the likelihood of being able to meet. Assuming that you are unable to contact your family for various reasons, such as your cell phone running out of charge or your home being damaged by the disaster, set specific meeting times and meeting places in detail. Also, you can avoid confusion in the event that you are unable to meet by discussing rules such as “If you are unable to meet 30 minutes after the meeting time, you will meet at the next meeting time.
It is important to discuss family rules during normal times.
Suddenly, everyone can be a victim of an earthquake. Because you never know when and where you will be hit by an earthquake, it is important to establish family rules so that you can act as calmly as possible.
writer：Matsuoka
