Round 2 AM on August 23, a magnitude-5.9 earthquake struck Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba and Tokyo. The Japan Meteorological Company mentioned the epicenter was in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, at a depth of 68 kilometers.
The company urged folks to stay alert for earthquakes registering as much as decrease 5 on Japan’s seismic depth scale over the next week, significantly throughout the first two to 3 days.
At this stage, most individuals are frightened and really feel the necessity to maintain onto one thing. Dishes on cabinets and books on bookshelves might fall.
Accidents and Harm
In line with native hearth departments, a teenage boy and a girl in her 70s suffered arm and shoulder accidents in Saitama.
In Kawasaki, three folks ranging in age from their 30s to 60s had been injured in falls, struggling accidents to their faces and fingers. In Sagamihara, a girl in her 60s fell down the steps at house and injured her head.
In Tokyo’s Koto Ward, a water pipe burst. The Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Waterworks is investigating whether or not the injury was attributable to the earthquake.
The quake rattled residents throughout the affected areas in the course of the evening. As daybreak broke, some described the shaking as nearly as highly effective as that of the 2011 Nice East Japan Earthquake, whereas others voiced concern about additional tremors.
The quake additionally disrupted public transportation, with JR East and different operators suspending companies on a number of traces from early morning, throwing Sunday journey plans into disarray.
Residents Recount the Shaking
Naoko Ishizaki, 57, of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, was asleep when an emergency earthquake alert jolted her awake. She mentioned she was instantly hit by violent shaking.
Nonetheless groggy from sleep, she took shelter together with her husband and two sons in a hallway close to the doorway and waited for the shaking to subside. She later discovered that the dishwasher, which had not been secured, had moved, and that some home windows had opened.
“It was a serious jolt, just like the Nice East Japan Earthquake. I discovered which you can’t react shortly within the second, so I’ll test my emergency provides once more,” she mentioned.
Kento Nakamura, 45, of Tokyo’s Adachi Ward, was taking a shower when the sturdy shaking struck. The water within the bathtub surged, whereas disaster-prevention bulletins warning residents echoed from audio system outdoors his open toilet window, he mentioned.
Happily, collectible figurines and different gadgets in his room didn’t fall as a result of he had just lately secured them with anti-tip adhesive strips.
“I had already been on heightened alert as a result of there had been a sequence of earthquakes,” he mentioned.
At a grocery store in Adachi Ward, an alarm system malfunctioned, triggering the discharge of fireside suppressant. In line with a close-by police station, the discharge was stopped at round 2:45 AM. The shop nonetheless delayed its opening by an hour.
A 38-year-old girl from the ward, who mentioned she normally retailers on the retailer as quickly because it opens on holidays, determined to attend outdoors till it opened.
“There may very well be one other earthquake, so I’ll purchase further water and emergency meals,” she mentioned.
The earthquake additionally disrupted practice companies. At Omiya Station in Saitama, a busy hub for households and different vacationers, indicators knowledgeable passengers that companies had been suspended on some sections of the community.
(Learn the associated article in Japanese.)
Creator: The Sankei Shimbun
