Earthquake

Response Manualfor students

How to Respond to an Earthquake

IEarthquake evacuation – Flow
1. When you hear a beep fromthe earthquake early warning
system*, prepare for a quake
and take the following actions,
if possible.
Open doors
Turn off the stove*Note: The earthquake early warning system detects first mild shakes and issues prompt alerts
through a number of channels, including TV, radio and mobile telephone networks, to havepeople prepared to protect themselves before strong tremors arrive. For details about thesystem, please visit this site:
https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Activities/eew1.html

2. When an earthquake strikes, protect yourself.
Stay away from windows and shelves.
Stay away from chemical substances.
Take cover under a solid desk/table.
Protect your head with a bag, clothing or other items.
If you are outdoors, keep away from buildings.

1

How to protect yourself – Details
REMAIN CALM AND ACT CAUTIOUSLY
In a classroom
Cover your head with your jacket or bag to protect yourself from fallingobjects.
Crawl under a desk.

In a hallway
Evacuate to the nearest classroom and crawl under a desk.
If there is no classroom nearby, stay away from windows and other falling
objects, and crouch down covering your head with your belongings.

On the field
Move to an area where there is little risk of falling objects and crouch down
until the shaking subsides.

Inside an elevator
Push all of the buttons and get off when the elevator stops. Elevators withearthquake sensors are designed to stop automatically at the nearest ﬂoor.
If the elevator stops between ﬂoors, press the emergency button to call forhelp.
If you get trapped inside, do not panic and attempt to escape. Remain calm
and wait for help.

Inside your apartment
If you are in a wooden building and see a risk of collapsing, protect yourhead with a helmet or clothing and leave immediately.
If there is no risk of collapsing, evacuate into a walled room with several
pillars and crawl under a desk/table.
Do not walk around barefoot. You may step on broken glass and/or ceramics.
If possible, open the entrance door to secure an escape route.
2On a train or bus
Firmly grasp a strap or handrail for a quick stop. If you are sitting on a seat,protect your head with your belongings. If you are standing, crouch down, if
possible, to protect yourself. If you can’t do so, plant your feet ﬁrmly.
Do not leave the vehicle until a crew member tells you to do so even if it has
stopped. It is dangerous to get off a train without permission because
high-voltage currents ﬂow near railroad tracks.
If you are on a platform in a station, protect yourself from falling objects andmove closer to a pillar to keep yourself from falling. If you can’t move, lower
your stance.

In an underground arcade
Protect yourself from falling objects near a large pillar or wall and wait for theshaking to subside.
If the power goes out, people may rush to emergency exits in panic and you
may get injured. Try to remain calm and wait for instructions.

On the street
Cover your head with your belongings and evacuate to the nearest open
space or relatively new, quake-resistant building.
Stay away from vending machines and walls. They may fall over.
Try to stay calm in a crowd.

33. When the shaking subsides, stay calm and check the situation around you.
Make sure that you don’t see a ﬁre and that all possible sources of ﬁre have been
extinguished.
Make sure that nobody is injured or trapped.
Assess how much the building has been damaged.
4. Before evacuating…
Shut off the main gas valve.
Turn off the circuit breakers.
5. Evacuation

If you are on campus,- Evacuate as instructed.
Watch out for falling objects and broken glass pieces on the ﬂoor.
Help others who need assistance.
Support each other.
Never use an elevator.
Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or the like to avoid inhaling smoke or dust.
Take the safest route.
Don’t push others.
- Ask for help when you face an unmanageable situation.
When you ﬁnd someone in need of rescue but cannot handle it by yourself,
secure your own safety ﬁrst, then call for help.
If you need help to evacuate, call out for it.
- Take refuge at the pre-designated evacuation sites (north ground & baseballfield) on campus.
If either of the pre-designated evacuation sites is not usable for some reason,
follow the instructions given by the emergency headquarters.
Prepare for aftershocks.
Report your safety to a university staff member.

4

If you are on the way to/from the University,

In principle, return home.
If you are very close to the campus, make it to the University.
Report your safety to the University. (See below.)

If you are home,

After things have calmed down, report your safety to the University. (See below.)
If you are an exchange student, follow the instructions of the manager of yourdormitory and/or its evacuation rules.

IIConfirm your safety
In the aftermath of a large-scale earthquake, the University will try to conﬁrm
whether individual students are safe or not. This is necessary to see if there isanybody left behind in a building in order to conduct a swift rescue operation,
as well as to make a right judgment based on available information on the statusof students who may be on the way to/from the University or at home.
How to report your safety to the University
Whenever possible, contact the International Centre, using either of the followingmeans to report your status.
(1) Telephone: 03-5992-1024(2) Email: guic-off@gakushuin.ac.jp

5III

How to judge whether it is safe to go homefrom the campus
If you are on campus when an earthquake hits, follow the instructions fromthe emergency headquarters that will be established immediately after theshaking subsides.
The basic rule is “DO NOT RUSH TO GO HOME.”

Can you reach home?
Make a judgment whether you can reach home safely in consideration of thefollowing factors.
Have you received any instructions from the University about going home?
Distance: Is your home located within walking distance from the University?
Remember that you might be able to walk only 2.5 km per hour ina disaster.
Shoes: Can you walk a long distance through rubble with your shoes?
Clothing: Will your clothing protect you from the sun or cold?
Physical strength: Are you conﬁdent that you are physically strong enoughto make it back home on foot?
Route home: Do you know the route to take when you walk home? Do you
have anybody who will come with you in the same direction?
Time: Can you reach home before dark?
Food: Do you have some food (chocolate or candies) and water with you tokeep going?
Communication device: Do you have any communication device, such as amobile phone?
Weather: Is the weather ﬁne and not expected to be bad?

Points to remember in going back home
Make sure to tell the University that you will go home.
Use a disaster emergency message board or similar services to let yourfamily know where you are and how you are doing.
Avoid unnecessary use of your mobile phone to save the battery.
On your way home, take a rest as appropriate to restore your physicalstrength and collect information.
Make effective use of shelters for people stranded due to disruptions oftrafﬁc.
If you feel it difﬁcult to reach home, consider coming back to the University.
6After you reach home, check the University’s website as it will post important information, including the schedule for reopening the classes, there. It may provide thesame information through G-Port as well.
Also, report to the University that you are safely back home.

Need help on you way home? Look for stickers!
tion!

Atten

On your way home, you may see these stickers on
the windows and/or walls of gas stations, convenience stores, and shops. Establishments marked
with the stickers will provide support to those whowalk home. For example, they will let you use therestrooms and provide information about roadcongestion or nearby shelters. Look for the stickers
if you need any help to reach home.

IV Status notification to/from family and friends
There are several ways available to conﬁrm your safety with your family andfriends.
Discuss with them and decide in advance how to contact with each other andwhere to meet.
Internet-based message board services
Web 171 provided by NTT East and West, the major ﬁxed-line telephone companies
https://www.ntt-east.co.jp/saigai/web171/web171manual_eng.pdf

Similar services provided by major mobile service providers
NTT DOCOMO
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/disaster/disaster_board/guidance_sp/?icid=CRP_en_
INFO_disaster_disaster_board_txt01_to_CRP_en_INFO_disaster_disaster_board_guidance_sp

7au
https://www.au.com/mobile/anti-disaster/saigai-dengon/sp-usage/ (available in Japanese)

SoftBank
https://www.softbank.jp/en/mobile/service/dengon/

VHow to provide first aid
FIRST, SECURE YOUR OWN SAFETY.
If you find someone lying down,
Check him/her for consciousness, breathing, a pulse and an injury.
If the person is conscious, ask him/her about symptoms and give necessary
ﬁrst aid.
If the person is unconscious, call for help.
Give artiﬁcial respiration and/or cardiac massage, depending on the situation.
Bleeding from injury
Most bleeding stops when you apply pressure on the bleeding area for a few
minutes.
If you see only a small amount of bleeding, wash the wound with clean water,
cover it with a clean cloth, and apply pressure.
Keep the injured area above the heart level.
If you see one or multiple pieces of glass stuck deeply in the injured
person’s body, don’t pull them out. Immobilize the part and take him/
her to a hospital.
Make sure to avoid direct contact with blood by using a plastic bag orother materials.

8Burns
Cool the burn with clean water. If a sufﬁcient amount of water is not available,
dip a towel or the like in water and apply it to the burn.
Be careful not to break a blister and apply a clean cloth to the burn.
Do not force to remove the clothes but cool the burn over the clothes.
Broken bones
Apply a splint (you can use a plate, umbrella, corrugated cardboard and othermaterial available), immobilize the affected area, and take the person to a hospital.
Keep the ﬁngers and toes visible to see if blood circulation isdisrupted.
If a bone is sticking out, cover the affected part with a clean cloth.

To be prepared for a sudden disaster, injury and disease
Participate in workshops on ﬁrst-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Always carry a clean handkerchief or towel with you.

VI Sources of emergency information available

in English

You can obtain disaster information in English from the following sites.
Tokyo Fire Department
https://www.tfd.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/earthquakes.html

Japan Meteorological Agency

https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/menu.html

Japan Tourism Agency app “Safety tips”

https://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/en/kouhou/page01_000336.html (to download the app)

NHK World (Multilingual Emergency Updates)

https://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld-blog/ (An app is also available)

9VII Prepare an emergency kit
Create a compact kit of the basic necessities. It is important to keep it somewhere close to you in case you need to evacuate quickly.
Priority items in immediate need

Secondary items to survive in a longer term

CashBank book

Food (instant rice and noodles, canned
food, etc.)

Emergency food (canned food, cookies,crackers, chocolate bars, etc.)
Potable water

Cell phone battery charger

Health insurance card

First-aid supplies (medicine, adhesive
bandages, cotton gauze, antiseptic, etc.)
Masks
Clothing (including underwear)
Portable radio (with some extra batteries)
Flashlight and/or candles

Additional potable water (3 liters perperson per day)Blanket and towels
Disposable heating pads

Toiletries
Portable gas stoves (with gas cartridges)

VIII In preparation for an earthquake
Conﬁrm the locations of the shelters near your home and the University and theevacuation routes.
Check the hazard map.
Decide contact methods with your family and friends.
Conﬁrm the route from the University to walk home and how long it would take.
Please remember it would take you an hour to walk 2.5 kilometers in a disaster.

(All information contained here is as of December 2021)

10International Centre
Gakushuin University