Posts

This is a petition calling for the shut down of the Sendai nuclear plant, located just south of the Kumamoto-Kagoshima border.
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/most_dangerous_plant_loc/?fPrqEcb&pv=431
-- Kirk
Sendai: The most dangerous nuclear plant in the world?
The Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima is standing right next to the active fault that caused the earthquake in Kumamoto last week. Join the petition calling on the immediate shut-down of "the world’s most dangerous nuclear plant" and share with everyone:

Tags: Media, gettinghelp
Two of Japan’s biggest chains travel to disaster-stricken Kumamoto to hand out free beef bowls
Mobile kitchens provide comfort food, in the truest sense of the word, for thousands of earthquake victims.

As those of you in Kumamoto know, it has begun to rain rather heavily. This significantly increases the risk of additional landslides. The added weight of the water increases the likelihood of building collapses as well. Accordingly, many evacuation notices have been issued. Unfortunately, I cannot direct you to a color-coded map showing the areas for which directives have been issued; only text information is available. The best text source in Japanese is Yahoo:
http://crisis.yahoo.co.jp/evacuation/
To help non-Japanese who do not read kanji make sense of this information I have made the following link:
http://goo.gl/zHJQDn
It uses a service called Rikai that shows the readings of the place names in hiragana and provides some basic translations, although the translations do not always fit the context. If kanji cause problems for you but you are able to read hiragana, the additional information provided by Rikai should be enough to help you make sense of the evacuation notices.
The color coding is also helpful: red, most dangerous (definitely take refuge), orange, evacuation recommended, yellow, prepare to evacuate.
Regardless of whether or not your can make sense of the information provided by Yahoo, do what you can to get away from steep slopes and vulnerable buildings.
Finally, my thoughts of the failure of government to provide information in visual form:
In the past, I have tried to suggest to the prefecture and others in positions of power that they should develop a system to display such information on maps in real time. Such a system would be helpful to Japanese citizens but of particular value to foreigners. Even if all of the text information were Japanese, such a visual display would be enough to make the information accessible to those who do not read kanji. After this disaster, perhaps I can get someone to listen to me.
-- Kirk
Tag: Evacuation

William here with tonight's tectonic point. Kumanichi mentioned in a blurb a JMA study on the concept that the interrelationship between the two fault ruptures (the Futagawa and Hinagu faults) may have been what led to an earthquake larger than the theoretical maximum of M7. This reminded me of a recent study on the San Andreas fault in my home state of California on exactly such a scenario. The link below is to an intro to that study of an 1812 earthquake in Los Angeles likely similar to what happened here. Expect swarms of seismologists and geologists to descend once recovery work is done - especially from California. A case study is in the works which will provide invaluable information.
https://news.stanford.edu/2016/03/14/rupture-multi-quakes-031416/
Tag: Understandingwhathappened
Multi-fault ruptures can unleash stronger earthquakes, Stanford scientists say
Research based on a new study of California's 1812 earthquake yields insights to improve future seismic hazard predictions.

I copied this from one of the Tokai University Emergency Notices pages.
[Kumamoto and Aso Campus] Latest update (April 19, 16:30)
2016年04月20日
[1] Casualties (as of April 17, 16:30)
[Deaths]
Despite the rescue efforts, three of our student lost their lives.
Our deepest sympathy and our sincere condolences go to their families.
[Injuries]
We have confirmed 36 students have been injured. (as of April 19, 09:00)
*The details are waiting to be confirmed
[2] Safety Confirmation (as April 19, 15:00)
We have confirmed the safety of all the other students (2,290) and faculty and staff (265) of Kumamoto Campus and Aso Campus.
[3] Facility (as of April 19, 09:00)
- Kumamoto Campus: Damaged. No entry is allowed to all the buildings.
- Aso Campus: Damaged. No entry is allowed to Building #1,#2, and #3.
[4] Emergency shelters (as of April 19, 15:30)
- Kumamoto Campus: The sports ground has been opened to provide an emergency shelter.
- Aso Campus: The gymnasium has been opened to provide an emergency shelter. (It will be closed soon since all the students have left the campus and other people have moved to a neighboring elementary school.)
[5] Emergency task force
An emergency task force has been set up on Shonan Campus, Building #4 (Hiratsuka, Kanagawa). (April 16, 06:00)
[6] Class cancellation (as of April 20)
- Kumamoto Campus: Closed until May 15 (Sun)
- Aso Campus: Closed until June 30 (Thu)
*All the classes on other campuses (Shonan, Yoyogi, Takanawa, Shimizu, Isehara, and Sapporo) will be held as usual.
[7] Others (as of April 19, 16:30)
1) All the students who were moved to Tokai University Fukuoka Junior College and Kumamoto Campus on April 18 by the buses arranged by the university have safely reached Kumamoto (18:45 ) and Fukuoka (19:10).
Four of the five students who moved to Fukuoka Junior College were picked up by their parents on April 19 and returned to their homes, and the last student will head home tomorrow.
2) Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) of Tokai University Hospital (consisting of 1 doctor, 2 nurses, 1 technician and 1 administrative staff) was dispatched to Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital on April 18 upon request from the government, and has been providing medical treatment.
[Contact information for inquiries]
0463-58-1211 (Main)
0463-50-2533 (For the press)
Here is the link to all Tokai's emergency notices:
http://www.u-tokai.ac.jp/emergency/index.html
Daniel

The Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) has recorded some 700 successive earthquakes that have thus far struck around Kumamoto and Oita prefectures as of 4 p.m. April 20. http://kumanichi.com/news/local/main/20160420021.xhtml
Tag: Media, understandingwhathappened
＜地震速報＞地震回数が７００回に達する－熊本のニュース│ くまにちコム
熊本日日新聞社が取材した熊本のニュース。新聞紙面に掲載前の記事もお伝えします。

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism have announced that emergency repairs on the national highway No. 443 which runs nearby the Mashiki town hall have been completed. This should smooth the transport of goods to and from the area.
Tag: Transportation
益城町役場近くの国道復旧－熊本のニュース│ くまにちコム
熊本日日新聞社が取材した熊本のニュース。新聞紙面に掲載前の記事もお伝えします。

The Mashiki Social Welfare Council will begin registering volunteers starting tomorrow (April 21) at 9AM. As aftershocks are still possible, most volunteer work for now will focus on helping out at evacuation centers at the moment.
Japanese PDF with info: http://www.mashiki-shakyo.or.jp/data/whatsnew/data_own/326118-1.pdf
The signup location is the Iseki Kumamoto Factory Ground. Here is a Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/LRRDJW7ow5Q2
They are looking for 200 volunteers.
Things to note before volunteering:
- It is difficult to find food, water, gas in the disaster areas.
- There is still a risk of further aftershocks.
- Roads in the area are damage so car travel is slow. There is a high chance of traffic.
- Please keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.
- There is very limited food and lodging in the area, please prepare this yourself.
- Consider carpooling in order to limit the number of cars on the road.

William here with news a roundup from the Kumanichi for Wednesday, 4/20.
- The streetcar system has been fully restored. Leave your car, take the trolley!
- Investigations into temporary housing have begun focusing on Mashiki and Nishihara. The article notes that over 9,000 houses have been rendered uninhabitable throughout the quake areas, including over 5,000 in Mashiki, representing about half of the entire town. A problem they face is a lack of clear information and continuing damage. (One would think they could start building now and ask questions later.) http://kumanichi.com/news/kyodo/main/201604/20160420003.xhtml
- J-League is investigating temporarily relocating Roasso as their stadium is being used as an evacuation center.This news has disappointed approximately nobody.
- And now for the weather. Heavy rain WAS expected from this evening, but currently, it appears we'll enjoy a rain-free night with potentially heavy rain starting from Thursday morning and continuing through the evening. Might want to get up early to get some stuff done first.
That's all for the news. Enjoy your day!
建物損壊、９千棟超　九州５県で地震被害－主要│くまにちコム
熊本日日新聞社　公式サイト。熊本のニュースを中心に温泉やグルメ、イベント情報も掲載。

The disaster has caused a huge spike in the "reach" of this page (that is, number of people looking at posts on it). Normally, the "reach" numbers that are shown to moderators of this page are in the hundreds. At its peak, after the main quake, the number climbed to nearly 60,000.
On the one hand, I'm glad that the page has functioned as a source of information in this emergency. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to returning to being a relatively obscure little page that serves the needs of the relatively small non-Japanese community in peaceful, safe Kumamoto.
-- Kirk

Classes at Kumamoto University, Kumamoto Gakuen University, and Sojo University are currently scheduled to resume on May 9th. Tokai University has canceled classes through May 15th. For all universities, this will probably mean that classes with need to be scheduled for the summer.
Kumamoto University
http://www.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/daigakuseikatsu/kyoumu/news/280416-5
Kumamoto Gakuen University
http://www.kumagaku.ac.jp/news/archives/1006
Sojo University
http://www.sojo-u.ac.jp/important/160419_006860.html
Tokai University
http://www.u-tokai.ac.jp/emergency/detail/post_8.html
-- Kirk
P.S. The image is from the Kumamoto Gakuen University announcement (see URL shown above)

"On Tuesday, 19 commercial flights were scheduled to arrive to the airport, including three Japan Airlines flights from Tokyo and Osaka and 12 All Nippon Airways flights from Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. The first of the arrivals, an ANA flight from Tokyo, landed at the airport around 7:40 a.m.
But, due to problems with carry-on baggage handling, all outbound flights other than one by Fuji Dream Airlines were cancelled."
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/kumamoto-airport-reopens-as-quake-death-toll-reaches-45
Kumamoto airport reopens; quake death toll reaches 45
Kumamoto airport in southwestern Japan reopened to commercial flights Tuesday for the first time since a series of powerful earthquakes…

See an article about this video here:
https://www.rt.com/viral/340018-japan-earthquake-bridge-drone/
Kirk
Drone View of 80 M Gorge Where Aso Bridge Collapsed Into

"A teddy bear mascot that went missing in the wake of large earthquakes in southern Japan has spurred concern on social media for its safety as well as criticism for the local government’s failure to use the furry animal’s network to share information."
Actually, I can sort of understand the criticism part. Kumamon has an English Facebook page that usually get way more traffic than this one does. Since the disaster, however, that page has been virtually silent. 13 hours ago, however, it posted one message calling for donations:
https://www.facebook.com/kumamotodiary.en/posts/1023358241073807
Kumamon is great for promoting the positive aspects of Kumamoto. The bear isn't quite so good, however, at dealing with problems.
-- Kirk
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-18/kumamoto-s-bear-mascot-spurs-twitter-traffic-after-japan-quakes
Kumamoto's Bear Mascot Spurs Twitter Traffic After Japan Quakes
A teddy bear mascot that went missing in the wake of large earthquakes in southern Japan has spurred concern on social media for its safety as well as criticism for the local government’s failure to use the furry animal’s network to share information.

「“Our first priority is to treat physical injuries, there is still an enormous need for medical aid. We are also deploying specially trained teams to provide psychosocial support and comfort to people who are traumatized after losing relatives or property,” said Ms. Igarashi. Continuous aftershocks have added to people’s stress and anxiety levels as they fear another earthquake might strike.」
http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/press-releases/asia-pacific/japan/japanese-red-cross-scales-up-emergency-response-to-kumamoto-earthquakes/
Japanese Red Cross scales up emergency response to Kumamoto earthquakes - IFRC
April 17th, 2016 - The Japanese Red Cross Society is playing a leading role in relief efforts following the two earthquakes that struck Kumamoto, Japan on April on 15 and 16 April, killing 41 people. Two thousand people were injured in the earthquakes of which over 1,000 were provided with medical t…

If you are a fan of the hit anime "One Piece" (based on the manga by Kumamoto native Eiichiro Oda) you really should see this video. :)
-- Kirk
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2016/04/19/stay-strong-kumamoto-luffy-and-his-voice-actress-are-cheering-for-you【video】/
Stay strong, Kumamoto! Luffy and his voice actress are cheering for you!【Video】
Here comes a message of encouragement from the voice of one of anime's most famous seafaring heroes.

"The center, located in Chuo Ward, has made English-, Korean- and Chinese-language interpreters available, and visitors can make use of translation services in other languages via telephone, Etsushi Ito, a worker at the international exchange center, told The Japan Times over the phone on Saturday."
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/04/16/national/kumamoto-international-center-offering-shelter-translation-services-foreigners/
-- Kirk
Tags: Gettinghelp, media
Kumamoto international center offering shelter, translation services for foreigners | The Japan...
Kumamoto City International Center in the city of Kumamoto is offering shelter for non-Japanese residents affected by the current swarm of earthquakes, wit

"Kumamoto city is located around 72 miles from Sendai nuclear power station, the only nuclear power plant which is currently in operation in Japan, operated by Kyushu Electric Power.
Last weekend, a group of writers and journalists joined forces to ask operators to immediately suspend operations at the Sendai plant in the aftermath of the earthquake, to avoid a repeat of the Fukushima crisis."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/18/japan-earthquakes-nuclear-regulator-refuses-to-shut-down-station/
Kirk
Japan earthquakes: Nuclear regulator refuses to shut down station on Kyushu Island
Japan’s atomic regulator will not shut down the nation’s only operating nuclear plant on earthquake-hit Kyushu island, despite concerns of a repeat of the Fukushima crisis. The Nuclear Regulation Authority’s (NRA) decision came to light as the race to rescue survivors of the deadly earthquakes in so…

Update on volunteer opportunities in Kumamoto City
The volunteer efforts that were originally planned for Saturday the 16th have been reopened!

＜Kumamoto Disaster Volunteers＞
１．Dates: Open from Friday, April 24th until whenever all needs have been fulfilled
２．Place: Hanabata Kouen （熊本市中央区花畑町7番10号
Is you're using the shiden, please get off either the A line or B line at Karashimachou
If coming by bus, please get off at the Kotsu Center stop
３．Time: 9am - 4pm
４．Activities: Helping the elderly or those otherwise physically incapable of cleaning up their homes.
Everyone will depart to the places to be cleaned after gathering at HQ (Hanabata Kouen)
５．Those coming by car should use the Kumamoto Goudou Chousha Atochi
(address: 熊本市中央区二の丸１番４号)
6. We will have you sign up for "volunteer insurance" at HQ
7. We ask that you bring the following:
Clothes that you're comfortable with getting dirty, work boots, water or other drinks for yourself, bento for lunch, towel, hat, mask, gloves, etc)
8．Contact: Please use the following numbers for inquiries
090-6653-1552
090-6653-1649
090-6653-1648

Kirk here. Here's a map showing three locations (Kumamoto Port, Yatsushiro Port, Misumi Port) where the Japanese Coast Guard is offering showers, pure water, phone charging, and other support.
https://twitter.com/JCG_koho/status/722210490735169536
For details in Japanese see
https://twitter.com/JCG_koho/status/722210201835671553
海上保安庁 on Twitter
“【海上保安庁のお知らせ】１９日の給水等支援場所は図のとおりです。　#支援情報”