'How can we be prepared?' BJ writes in the wake of the recent spate of earthquakes. "Our family is increasingly concerned about what we can do if an earthquake or some other calamity strikes. We live in an apartment. Will we be OK? What kind of resources are there and what should we do in case of a disaster?"
In terms of your apartment, check when it was constructed. The new building codes, particularly for buildings put up since Kobe was devastated by a terrible earthquake in 1995, are extremely stringent. Further measures to tighten up the certification of apartments followed the Aneha construction scandal of 2005, in which data on the ability of buildings to withstand quakes were falsified by architect Hidetsugu Aneha.
Next, make up a "three-day kit" — a bag packed with everything your family might need over a three-day period. This is generally the time it takes for systems to get back up and running.