Structural engineer hopes Californians learn from Japan earthquake preparedness
SACRAMENTO — Search and rescue teams race to pull survivors from the debris of Japan's New Year's Day 7.6 magnitude earthquake. The death toll has risen to at least 55 people, but experts say Japan's ability to prepare ahead of disaster curbed the worst of the damage.
Dr. Kit Miyamoto is a structural engineer with a special emphasis on disaster zones. His global engineering and humanitarian organization started in Sacramento and has offices around the nation. He is on the ground in Japan, near the epicenter, and said it looks like a war zone.
"Pretty incredible scenery, I'm talking looking like after the World War II bombing almost," Miyamoto said. "It's unbelievable and shocking sights."
His team is mobilizing to help in the delicate recovery efforts but he said the focus remains on searching for survivors. The earthquake struck during popular holiday celebrations.
"New Year's Day is such a big deal in Japan. It's a combination of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's all in one day in Japan," Miyamoto said.
Videos show not only the remarkable shaking and crumbling of homes and buildings but also the fires that are believed to have destroyed some 200 homes in the hours that followed the shaking. It's these threats that Japan has been preparing for extensively, aware of the high risk of seismic activity in the region.
"Each individual prepares, which is actually a really critical aspect of it," Miyamoto said. "There are very little things we can do, each of us. That makes a huge difference in the outcome of it."
He drew similarities between the soil in Japan and Northern California, saying if a substantial earthquake were to hit the region, we would feel the impacts in parts of Sacramento. Experts always explain the importance of having an emergency plan in place like a device that would shut off natural gas valves in the event of an emergency. Most homes in Japan have them installed for this very reason.
"Those are very cheap, and I think those kinds of things need to be installed, especially older homes in California. I think it's very important," Miyamoto said.
Miyamoto and his team will remain on the ground helping to mobilize resources.