Earthquake Intensity and Possible Damage

Preparing for Earthquake
Earthquakes occur suddenly. Therefore, it is important to always be prepared.
Please check your surroundings and the inside of your home.

Safety Measures Inside the House■ Heater

Use a heater with an automatic ﬁreturn-oﬀ function in case of an earthquake.
Do not place them around ﬂammableitems such as curtains.

■ Doorway

Do not put furniture or any other objects
that can easily topple over along exit
routes that lead to the house entrance.

■ TV Fall Prevention

Do not place them in high places. Fix
them securely, or use seismic isolation
sheets.

■ Stove

Do not put any objects that caneasily fall or burn around the stove.

■ Bedrooms and Rooms forChildren and the Elderly■ Glass windows

Attach protective ﬁlm, which can also
protect cupboard windowpanes.

Do not place tall furniture in a bedroom. It
may topple over and injure those who aresleeping when an earthquake strikes.

■ Bookshelves and Cupboards■ Flashlight

Secure tall furniture by using L-shaped metalﬁttings or support bars. Insert a small board
under the furniture to make the furniturelean against the wall or column.

It is diﬃcult to act safely in the dark. Keepa ﬂashlight in a convenient location for anemergency.

Safety Measures Outside the House■ Balcony■ Roof■ Glass Windows■ Propane Gas

Do not put potted plants or otheritems where they may fall.

Attach protective ﬁlm. Wired glass issafer.

Check for unsteady parts or cracks.
Reinforce them if they're not reinforcedconcrete.

■ SignStores should periodically check theirsigns to make sure they're secure andtake fall-prevention measures.

Intensity 6 Upper● Impossible to remain standing, andsome may get thrown in the air.
● Most unsecured pieces of furniture
move and topple over.
● Wooden buildings with low
earthquake resistance may lean orcollapse.

Intensity 5 Upper

Intensity 7● Diﬃcult to walk unless holding onto
something stable.
● Dishes in cupboards and items on
bookshelves are more likely to fall.
● Unsecured furniture may toppleover.

● More wooden buildings with low
earthquake resistance are even more
likely to lean or collapse.
● Even earthquake-resistant woodenbuildings may lean at times.
● Many of the reinforced concretebuildings with low earthquake
resistance collapse.

What to do when an earthquake occurs
Ensure your safety ﬁrst.

An earthquake ○Ensure your safety ﬁrst by taking cover under a table.
happens○Turn oﬀ the ﬁre immediately. (Do not take risks when the shaking is severe.)○Secure escape routes by opening doors and windows.

1 minute〜
2minutes

Various subsidy programs

Protect your family and property. But don't take risks.
○When the shaking stops, check any source of ﬁre and conduct initial ﬁreﬁghting activities.
Turn off the○Conﬁrm the safety of your family.
main gas valve○Wear slippers or shoes even indoors (to protect your feet from shards of glass and fallen objects).
○Evacuate immediately if there is a risk of the building collapsing, tsunamis, or sediment disasters.

Prepare to evacuate. Beware of aftershocks!

【Subsidy to Install Devices that Prevent Furniture from Overturning】
Beppu City oﬀers subsidies to cover the cost of installing devices that will prevent furniture fromoverturning. This subsidy can be used for homes where elderly persons aged 70 or older live bythemselves or for homes where persons with severe disabilities live. These devices will protect
lives and property from earthquake damage.
For applications and inquiries: Elderly Welfare Division ☎0977-21-1442 ／ Disabled Welfare Division ☎0977－21－1413【Subsidy to Promote Earthquake-Resistant Reinforced Wooden Houses】
The house itself should be earthquake-resistant to protect you and your family from earthquakes. During theGreat Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (1995), about 80% of deaths were due to crushing and suﬀocation causedby collapsed houses and overturned furniture. We can learn from the past and receive a seismic diagnosisof the home and make necessary modiﬁcations.
Beppu City provides a subsidy for individuals to receive a seismic diagnosis for their homes and to makemodiﬁcations to their wooden two-story houses built before May 31, 1981.
For applications and inquiries: Urban Planning Division ☎0977－21－1471
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Intensity 5 Lower● Many people are frightened and feelthe need to hold onto somethingstable.
● Dishes in cupboards and items on
bookshelves may fall.
● Unsecured furniture may move.

3minutes

Preparing for Earthquake■ Concrete Walls/ Gatepost

Intensity 6 Lower● Diﬃcult to remain standing.
● Many unsecured pieces of furniture
move and may topple over.
● Wall tiles and window glasses may
get damaged, and pieces may fall.

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency Website
Based on Tables explaining the JMA Seismic Intensity Scale (Seismic intensity 0 to 3 are omitted)

Secure the TV antenna tightly. Take
fall-prevention measures for roof tiles.

Secure gas cylinders to a wall withchains.

Intensity 4● Those who are walking feel theshake, and those who are sleeping
wake up.
● Hanging objects such as lamps
swing signiﬁcantly.
● Objects not securely seated mayfall.

○Prepare emergency items to take.
○Beware of ﬁre or collapsing buildings caused by aftershocks.
○Obtain disaster information from the radio, etc.
○Turn oﬀ the electric circuit breaker and main gas valve.

Cooperate with neighbors. Conﬁrm the safety of Persons Requiring Evacuation Assistance!

5minutes
Fewhours
3 days○Check on neighbors and evacuate together.
○Conﬁrm the safety of Persons Requiring Evacuation Assistance in the community.
○Cooperate with neighbors to extinguish ﬁres and participate in the rescue eﬀort.
○Don't get close to dangerous buildings that may collapse.

Help each other in evacuation shelters!
○Don't enter your home if it has collapsed.
○Exercise continuous caution for large aftershocks.
○Use essential items from your emergency stockpile to survive.
○Observe rules for living as a group in an evacuation shelter and care for persons
needing special consideration (those who are elderly and disabled, infants, andothers needing special care).
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