Hi Petra. One day your project will become reality and there will be no more Northridge’s or Kobe’s. This is not to say that there won’t be any more earthquakes, but that the people in general will be better prepared for them.

I lived in Japan for 10 years and I felt they were ready for the next major earthquake, as I had participated in many of their earthquake drills. However there was one little problem with the drills. The only places that had them were Tokyo and the immediate surrounding area. No one had ever dreamed that Kobe would be the center of the next major quake. Not in any sense of the imagination was Kobe ready for the earthquake that hit them.

I returned to Japan in July of 97 where I spent a month in Osaka/Kobe area. I didn’t see the damage that had been done, but I did see the aftermath. There were areas that were completely devoid of any buildings. In their place were structures that looked like semi trucks without the tractor. Most if not all of the people didn’t have earthquake insurance, or fire insurance, which I found somewhat surprising. When I asked why I was told that no one thought a quake of that magnitude would center there. They were never told that a major quake could center in their city. Most of them thought the government would warn them if there were going to be a large earthquake.

One thing that stood out was that those who survived the earthquake were going to prepare themselves for the next one. They had learned the hard way that in order to be a survivor it had to start with the person. They, each an every one of them was going to prepare themselves for the next major quake.

In order for anyone to be a survivor they must want to be a survivor and prepare to be that survivor. Take Care…Don in creepy town.