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地震を予感させる天候
日本では毎年8月末から防災週間が始まるが、その光景を見ていると、筆者はちょっと懐かしい気持ちになる。
彼女が育ったニュージーランドは日本同様地震が多く、学校では防災訓練がよく行われていたからだ。
そして災害による被害を食い止めるには、技術の進歩だけではだめだという。
Earthquake weather
In New Zealand, when the air seems still — almost a little too still — it's not uncommon to hear people use the expression, "Feels like earthquake weather."
In late August, when the air is at its thickest, Tokyo holds its annual Disaster Preparedness Week.
I always feel a little nostalgic when I see the sight of volunteers covered in fake blood, sporting fake wounds and lying in awkward, painful positions, because they remind me of the emergency drills we had in high school in New Zealand.
As students, my classmates and I saw the opportunity to "play victim" as the perfect way to excuse ourselves from class, and the drama students thought of it as a perfect way to show the world, or at least the emergency services crew, their acting abilities.
As an adult, I wish I had taken these drills more seriously because, as several large tremors in August kindly reminded us, Mother Nature can surprise and terrify at any time she pleases.
New Zealand and Japan are similar not only in land mass but also in how seismically active they are. My hometown, Wellington, is similar to Tokyo in that it sits on or near several major fault lines, and that its residents and infrastructure are alarmingly ill-prepared for disaster.
Japan certainly seems more technologically organized when it comes to broadcasting earthquake information. I was watching TV moments after the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake in Niigata, and was impressed by a centralized system that allowed people in the affected area and their loved ones around the country to communicate via a message board displayed on screen.
But it takes more than technology to lessen the impact of a disaster. I hope that Japan's Disaster Preparedness Week includes educating and empowering children with the knowledge that they can do something to look after themselves and others during a major earthquake. At primary school in New Zealand, during our emergency drills teachers would warn us that, at any given time, if they yelled "EARTHQUAKE!" we would all have to run under our desks and hold them in place. They would time and grade us on how well we did. I used to resent these nerve-wracking interruptions to class, but in truth, a real earthquake would be much worse.
In various centers around Japan, adults and children alike have the opportunity to experience earthquakes of varying intensity. At Wellington's Te Papa Museum, a small "earthquake house" serves to show visitors what a mild tremor would be like. They were forced to lower the maximum intensity of the shakes after the screams of terrified children panicked too many museum visitors.
But I think that, screams or no screams, everyone really needs to experience what a bona fide earthquake might be like and know what to do during and after, because, at least in a controlled environment, you know that there's an "OFF" switch somewhere.
- almost a little too still
- ちょっと動きがなさすぎるほどだ
- at its thickest
- もっとも停滞している
- Disaster Preparedness Week
- 防災週間
- nostalgic
- 懐かしく思う
- sight
- 光景
- sporting 〜
- 〜を見せ付けるようにして
- in awkward, painful positions
- ぎこちない無理な姿勢で
- emergency drills
- 防災訓練
- play victim
- 被害者を演じる
- excuse ourselves from 〜
- 〜を免れる
- show the world
- 世界中に見せる
- emergency services crew
- 救急隊員
- acting abilities
- 演技力
- tremors
- 地震
- Mother Nature
- 自然の力
- at any time she pleases
- 好きなときに
- in land mass
- 面積で
- seismically active
- 地震活動が活発な
- fault lines
- 断層線
- alarmingly
- 不安になるほど
- centralized system
- 集中システム
- affected area
- 被災地
- it takes more than technology to lessen 〜
- 〜を減らすには、技術だけではだめだ
- empowering 〜 with 〜
- 〜に〜を身に付けさせる
- at any given time
- いつでも
- hold 〜 in place
- 〜を押さえる
- time
- 〜の時間を計る
- grade
- 〜を評価する
- resent
- 〜に憤慨する
- nerve-wracking
- イライラさせる
- centers
- 施設
- varying intensity
- さまざまな強度
- shakes
- 揺れ
- bona fide
- 本物の