Crystalline life: Early enduring earthquakes on an island
Crystalline life: Early enduring earthquakes on an island
The headmaster Yoshiro Tobo is one of the few people who stayed on his remote Japanese island while his family fled to safer areas. The island of Akusekijima in the Tokara Islands is haunted by steady earthquakes, which have been registered over 1,800 times in the past three weeks. The 52-year-old reports that he is exhausted and scared because the "endless" vibrations affect his sleeping behavior.
The current situation on Akusekijima
On July 3, the strongest quake hit the island, which overturned furniture and the stay that stopped was made more difficult, as the Japanese meteorology authority reported. However, Tobo remained as a guard of the only school on the island, which now serves as an evacuation center. "It has been wobbling continuously for many days. I feel very restless and anxious, and it's difficult to sleep," he told CNN.
use for the community
As part of an emergency evacuation, Tobo opened the school playground for the remaining 19 islanders and five contractors to create a safe space far from buildings that could be damaged by the vibrations. So far, the school itself has remained unscathed. He added: "I evacuated around midnight and went back to bed around 1:30 a.m., but could not sleep enough. Some of the earthquakes were very strong."responsibility and commitment
TOBO emphasizes that the responsibility is part of his job: “As a headmaster, I decided to stay on the island and to support the efforts by coordinating with government representatives and local residents. I stay at home at night, but I feel ready to evacuate to school at any time, even in the middle of the night.”
The psychological stress of the residents
Takashi Arikawa, an official of the Toshima Village Office, reports on a "sleepless" and "exhausted" community, which is exposed to "constant earthquakes that are constantly continuing". In addition to Tobo, firefighters, farmers, workers from the energy companies as well as a doctor and a nurse have remained on the island.
lessons and support for students
The students from Tobo resumed lessons in the form of online classes on Tuesday, after they had previously went to school with helmets and the school was closed for two days. "Until then, some children were still on the island. They seemed anxious and unsettled because of the constant earthquakes. I did my best to encourage and calm them down," said the headmaster. "We pray that those who stay on the island remain safe and their homes are spared damage."
leaves and information about neighboring islands
On the neighboring island of Kodakarajima, which, like Akusekijima, is one of the seven inhabited Tokara Islands, 15 residents were evacuated, while 44 with four contractors are still on site. Kozo Matsuno, the headmaster of Kodakarajima, reports that all supermarkets and shops were initially closed and daily needs are delivered by ferry from Kagoshima.
optimism in difficult times
After troubled nights, Matsuno expressed optimism and noticed: "The distances between the earthquakes have gotten longer. The earthquakes seem to be gradually releasing, and I hope that this will stay that way." All students are “in good health”, with half of which continues to take part in the lessons, while the other half learns online.
precautions and future views
The around 700 inhabitants of the 12-island archipelago have experience with such situations. A school website shows children who seek protection under their desks during an exercise in Akusekijima last month. In addition to the strongest earthquake on July 3, the region recorded 128 earthquakes of the strength of three and at least 39 levels of level four, which are perceived by most people. Authorities warned of a possible risk of collapsing and lands on building.
earthquake and the geology of Japan
Japan is particularly susceptible to earthquakes and, for example, makes a fifth of the global vibrations of strength 6 or more. The country is located in the so -called "fire ring", the at home of 75 % of the active volcanoes on earth, where around 90 % of all earthquakes occur. Here, many tectonic plates meet, create the friction and release energy, which leads to the quake. The Japanese government warned of further strong earthquakes in the region on Saturday, but asked the public to predict unfounded predictions about a not to take seriously on July 5th.
These warnings originate from rumors that were inspired by the manga "The future I saw". The manga warned of a big disaster in March 2011-a date that happened to be with the Earthquake and tsunami agreed, who looked for the northern Tohoku region of Japan and led to the Fukushima disaster. The "complete version" published in 2021 claims that the next big earthquake will arrive this July.
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