Steve's sandbox

Tag: earthquake

  • Cosmo de Bono: Earthquakes in Taiwan – May 2024

    Visiting the Presidential palace with my classmate and language partner

    台灣地震
    現在是五月份，我來台灣已經 9 個月了。我大部分時間都在學習，但是也進行了一些旅行。不過，在這次報告中，我想跟大家分享我在台灣的地震經驗。
    花蓮（台灣東南部）最近發生了許多地震，但是大多數地震在台北還能感受到，而且有些地震規模相當大。跟日本一樣，台灣也有地震的歷史，但是大多數地震規模較小，幾乎感覺不到。我在台灣的頭幾個月，有時會感覺到非常輕微的搖晃，持續時間約 20 秒，但我意識到地面在搖晃的時侯，地震已經停止了。這類地震在台灣最常見，大家習以為常。
    4 月 3 日上午，台灣到處都發生了 7.4 級地震。里氏震級是對數。這意味著每個數字都是前一個數字的 10 倍。比如說，2.5 級地震的威力是 1.5 級地震的 10 倍。因此，7.4 級地震的威力是平常 4-5 級地震的 從100 到 1000 倍。
    這麼大的地震相當可怕。搖晃開始的時候很小，然後越來越大。你可以感覺到周圍的一切都在前後搖晃，周圍的物體開始倒下。最好的方法就是躲在床下或桌子下，遠離窗戶。
    幸運的是，台北的建築物大多具有抗震性能，因此建築物受到重大損壞的風險很小。不過，我的一些朋友的牆壁還是出現了裂縫，家具也被震壞了。我附上了一些朋友公寓的照片。幸運的是，我的公寓沒有受到任何損壞！
    在接下來的兩到三週裡，餘震不斷，大部分都發生在晚上。這些餘震大多在 5 級和 6 級之間。不過現在我已經習慣了，也知道如果發生更大的地震該怎麼辦。
    必須強調的是，我在台北是絕對安全的，但我認為解釋這些地震的經歷會很有趣，因為它們為我在台灣的經歷增添了意外的驚喜。
    陳白宇

    Language centre after the large earthquake

    Earthquakes in Taiwan
    It’s now May and I’ve been in Taiwan for 9 months now. I’ve been mostly studying but have done some travelling as well. However, for this report, I’d like to share my experience of earthquakes in Taiwan.
    There have been a lot of earthquakes recently in Hualien (southeast Taiwan) but most of them can still be felt from Taipei, and some have been quite large. Like Japan, Taiwan has a history of earthquakes, but most are small and can be hardly felt. In my first few months in Taiwan, I would sometimes feel very minor shaking for about 20 seconds, but by the time I realised the ground was shaking it had already stopped. These types of earthquakes are the most common in Taiwan and everyone is used to them.
    On the 3rd of April in the morning there was an earthquake in across Taiwan that measured magnitude 7.4. The Richter scale is logarithmic. This means that each number is 10 times greater than the previous number. For example, a magnitude 2.5 earthquake is 10 times more powerful than a 1.5 magnitude one. So the 7.4 earthquake was 100 to 1000 times more powerful than the usual earthquakes which are between 4 -5 on the Richter scale.

    My friend’s kitchen after the earthquake

    Earthquakes this large are quite scary. The shaking starts small and keeps getting bigger and bigger. You can feel everything surrounding you shaking back and forth, and objects around you start to fall over. The best thing to do is to hide under your bed or a table and stay away from windows.

    Luckily, the buildings in Taipei are mostly all earthquake-resistant, so there is little risk of major damage to a building. However some of my friends ended up with cracks in their walls and broken pieces of furniture. I’ve attached some photos of my friends’ appartments. Luckily mine wasn’t damaged at all!

    For the next two to three weeks there were many aftershocks, most of which happened at night. These were mostly between magnitude 5 and 6. By now though I’m pretty used to these and know what to do if there is a larger earthquake.

    It’s important to emphasise that I’m completely safe in Taipei, but I thought it would interesting to explain the experience of these earthquakes as they have been an unexpected addition to my experience in Taiwan.

    Cosmo

  • Megan Gouw: TeamLab, Japan – September 2018

    The floor of this room was made of mirrors,which was slightly disorientating. Also, luckily they lent out pairs of shorts, so those of us who came in skirts wouldn’t accidentally flash everyone.

    最近、この夏に日本で流行っているところに行ってみた。TeamLabというイルミネーションの美術館みたいなところだった。色な部屋で、水とか、鏡とか、ボールなどを使って、光の美しさを紹介した。それで、面白くて、きれいな写真を撮れる場所だから、インスタで人気がある。ところで、イルミネーションは日本ではいつもすごく人気があるのに対して、スコットランドではイルミネーションはクリスマスのときしか見えない気がする。確かに、TeamLab みたいなところが前に見ったことない。少し高くても、すごく混んでいた。それでも、友達と遊んだり、写真を撮ったりして、楽しかった！

    そういえば、学校に行ったり、家族と遊んだり、友達と出かけたり、日本の生活に慣れた。だが、まだ日本の天気に慣れてない。最近、日本の天気はやばすぎて、暑いやら、台風が来るやら地震が起こるやら大変だ。

    一週間前、学校から家に帰るときに、ちょっと怖いことがあった。台風のせいで電車が止まった。電車を乗らないで、どうやって帰れるのかわからなくて、1時間以上ホームで待っていた。大変なことに、エアコンがつけていても、信じられないぐらい暑くて、まるでサウナにいるかのようだった。駅員のアナウンスは謝るばかり言っていて、いつまで止まっているのかわからなかったから、心配していた。そして、待つのを諦めて、家まで歩こうと思っていた時にやっと電車来て、無事に帰れた。

    さりとて、東京にいてよかったと思う。東京より大阪の方が悪い影響をうけたそうだ。または、北海道にも自然の災害があった。震度6.7の地震が起こって、電池などがなくなって、電車とかバスとか止まって、困っているらしい。前回にあった家族の友達が北海道にいるうちに地震が起こって、連絡できなくて、みんなが心配していた。よかったことに、全然大丈夫で、携帯が電池なくて、充電もできなくて連絡できなかっただけだって。こういう軽軽で、人生の脆弱性を感じる。この際に、影響された人に、心よりお悔やみ申し上げる。

    This room had a dome like ceiling, and a mirror floor, with flowers constantly being projected around the dome. the effect were very cool, but also made me feel a little seasick.

    ENGLISH:

    Recently, I went to a place that has been trending in Japan. TeamLab. It was similar to an art gallery, with all the exhibits being illuminations. In the various rooms, water, mirrors and balls were used to showcase the beauty of light. Because you can take eye-catching and beautiful photos there, it is popular on Instagram. However, while these kind of illumination places are always popular in Japan, I feel like you only ever see illuminations at Christmas time in Scotland. I have certainly never seen somewhere like TeamLab before. Even though it was a little expensive, it was still super crowded. But even so, I had a really good time taking photos and enjoying the exhibits with my friend.

    Striking a pose in one of the rooms at TeamLab. This room was filled with large balloon like balls which changed colour.

    Speaking of which, I have settled into my life in Japan well, going to school, hanging out with the family, going out with my friends. But I am still not used to the Japanese weather. Recently, the weather here has been insane, with the heat and the Typhoons.

    One week ago, when I was coming home after school, a slightly scary thing happened. The train stopped because of the typhoon. I didn’t know any other way to go home, without using the train, so I just waited on the platform for over an hour. To make matters worse, while there was air conditioning at the station, it was still so hot it felt like I was standing in a Sauna. The station workers announcements just kept apologizing for the delay, so I didn’t know how long the trains would be stopped for, which worried me. Just as I was about to give up on waiting, and just walk home, a train finally came, and I managed to get home safely.

    A photo I took of my friend in TeamLab. This room was filled with strings of lights that were constantly changing.

    Having said that, I am glad I was in Tokyo. It seems like Osaka was worse affected by the Typhoon, and Hokkaido also had a natural disaster. An earthquake of 6.7 magnitude occurred, causing various issues including the electricity cutting out, buses and trains etc. stopping. A friend of my host family who I met last time I was in Japan, was in Hokkaido when the earthquake happened, and we couldn’t get in touch with her, so we were all worried. However luckily she was fine, it was just that her phone had died and she couldn’t charge it. Through these kind of experiences I notice the vulnerability of life. At this time, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to anyone affected by the earthquake.

  • ‘Fuerza Mexico’, : Holly Henry, Mexico – October 2017

    El Sismo en México

    El martes el 19 de septiembre, La Ciudad de México sufrió un sismo en que al menos 225 personas murieron y miles más fueron afectados. Ocurrió 2 semanas después de otro sismo que afectó mucho la Costa pacífica, y en una coincidencia rara, ocurrió 32 años exactos desde el sismo en 1985 en que más de 10,000 vidas se perdieron. A la 1 por la tarde, la gente empezó a sentir un temblor en la tierra, que transformó en tremores violentos. Hubieron daños inmediatos; edificios y escuelas destruidas, carros y personas aplastadas y hogares dañados sin reparación. El metro fue cerrado ese día pero reabrió más tarde por la semana.

    El sismo fue debido al ubicación de la Ciudad, que está ubicado en una región sísmicamente muy activa. Además la ciudad está construida arriba de un lago, así que la tierra es más vulnerable.

    Que hacer en un sismo?

    Si se encuentra en un sismo, hay que mantener la calma y seguir el plan de evacuación de donde está. Si no es posible buscar un espacio afuera, lo mejor es buscar la parte más fuerte del edificio (por ejemplo abajo de las columnas o puertas). Apaga los cigarillos si hay un riesgo de gas, y no utiliza las escaleras ni elevadores.

    ‘Fuerza México’

    Los ciudadanos respondieron en inmediato a la crisis, intentando a buscar la gente abajo de los edificios caídos. Los equipos de rescate mexicanos y internacionales llegaron, y brigadas de estudiantes, enfermeras, médicos, bomberos y grupos de ciudadanos civiles ayudaron en cualquiera manera que pudieron. De limpieza de escombros, a dar comida y bebida a los voluntarios, había gente trabajando 24 horas. Todo fue coordinado casi exclusivamente por las redes sociales y por palabra de la boca, y por grupos de voluntarios que crearon operaciones sistemáticas para organizar quién podía ofrecer ayudo y quien lo necesitaba. No fue organizada por el gobierno. También, hay que mencionar los perros marinos como Frida, quien ayudaron a salvar más de 50 vidas, y con quien todo la ciudad se enamoró.
    Creo que puedes ver el carácter y fortaleza de una persona cuando reacciona a un crisis, y puedo decir por verdad que nunca olvidaré las reacciones de la gente mexicana.
    Es importante mantener la positividad en momentos de crisis, y en mi opinión puede encontrar lo positivo en lo valiente, la fuerza y solidaridad de México, el apoyo de comunidades, y el amor entre vecinos y compañeros.

    Solidaridad de México – ‘Jorge Dan López (EFE), El País’.

    ENGLISH

    An earthquake in Mexico

    On Tuesday 19th September, Mexico City experienced an earthquake which killed at least 225 people and affected thousands more.  This came 2 weeks after an earthquake had badly affected the pacific coast, and in an eery coincidence, occurred 32 years to the day of the earthquake in 1985, in which over 10,000 lives were lost. Just after 1pm on the Tuesday afternoon people started to feel the earth tremor, which soon turned into violent, vertical shaking. There was immediate damage; buildings and schools destroyed, cars and people crushed, and homes damaged beyond repair. The metro was shut during this time although re-opened later in the week.

    The earthquake was due to Mexico City being in such a seismically active region, located in between two plates (Pacific and Cocos), yet also because of the city’s location: it is built on a former lake and therefore the ground is soft and wet and much more vulnerable.

    What to do in an Earthquake?

    If you find yourself experiencing an earthquake stay calm and follow the evacuation plan wherever you are. If you cannot find an outdoor space, it is best to be under the most supported part of a building (such as columns or strong door frames). Put any cigarettes or fire out in case of gas leaks, and do not use stairs or lifts.

    ‘Stay strong Mexico’ (‘Fuerza México’)

    Citizens immediately responded to the crisis, recovering people from under the weight of concrete where buildings had fallen. Rescue teams arrived from Mexico and around the world, brigades of students, nurses, doctors, firefighters, and ordinary citizens helped in any way they could. Whether this was from clearing the rubble, or providing food and drinks to the rescuers, people were working around the clock. This was co-ordinated almost exclusively through social media and word of mouth, and by fantastic groups of volunteers who ran systematic operations to get those who could help to where help was needed. This was not organised through the government. It’s also important to mention the brave marine dogs such as Frida who helped to save more than 50 people, and who Mexico City fell in love with.

    I think you can judge a person’s character and fortitude by how they react in a crisis, and I can wholeheartedly say that I will never forget the unity and love that was shown by the Mexican people. In situations of crisis it is important to focus on staying positive, and positivity can be found in the bravery, strength and unity of Mexico, the support and solidarity amongst communities, and the love between neighbours.

  • Andy Newton: Japan April 2016 – Earthquake in Kyushu

    今月の１９日に九州で大きい地震がその地域を襲いました。震央は熊本県ですが、福岡で大地が揺れるのが感じられました。地震が起ったとき、僕はドミトリーの部屋の床で勉強中している最中だったので、全然揺れませんでした。福岡で地震はあまり強くなかったので家具や本棚の本やカレンダーなど転びませんでした。

    逆に、母校のリーズ大学から熊本県に住んでいる留学生の友達はよく揺れました。寮で滞在するのはまだ危ないと思いましたから、４日ぐらい宮崎県で宿泊しに行きました。生憎、ニュースによると熊本県内で14日の前震により住宅の下敷きや火災により、益城町と熊本市東区で計9人の死亡が確認されていました。

    熊本市によると、同市内の病院には同日23時頃現在、地震で重軽傷を負った70人以上が運ばれていました。
    16日の本震、32人が死亡して、前震とあわせて41人の死亡が確認されました（市町村別では益城町20人、南阿蘇村7人、西原村5人、熊本市4人、嘉島町3人、御船町1人、八代市1人）。負傷者は熊本県内だけでなく、佐賀県、大分県、福岡県、宮崎県でも出ています。

     

     

    ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

    Last Thursday, a large earthquake occurred in the bottom island of Kyushu. The epicentre of the quake was in Kumamoto prefecture but in Fukuoka and surrounding prefectures you could still feel the ground shake. Luckily when the earthquake occurred, I was on the floor in my room studying so I didn’t get shaken about too much. It didn’t hit Fukuoka too strongly so my books and stuff on my shelves and other furniture didn’t fall down.

    However, my friend from Leeds who is studying in Kumamoto this year told me he had his room totally shaken up and most of his furniture was strewn about his room. He thought it was too dangerous to stay in his dormitory so he and a group of friends have gone to stay in Miyazaki, a different prefecture, for four days or so.

    According to the news, a total of 14 people in Kumamoto have lost their lives and on the same day 23 people were hospitalised. During the second quake on Saturday, 32 people were killed bringing the total number of fatalities to 41. Twenty people in Mashiki, seven in Minamimura, five in Nishihara, 3 in Shiamachi, and one person in both Mifune and Yatsushiro. The total number of casualties is around 1100 people, with those coming from Kumamoto, as well as Fukuoka, Miyazaki, Saga and Oita the surrounding prefectures and districts.

    Aftershocks have been felt over the past few days but most of noticeable ones have occurred during the night. Hopefully things will return to normal soon.