“MEGAQUAKE”
This week, government scientists marginally increased the probability of a vast “megaquake” along the undersea Nankai Trough over the next 30 years to 75-82 per cent.
Such a jolt could potentially have a devastating 8-9 magnitude earthquake, trigger colossal tsunamis, kill several hundred thousand people and cause billions of dollars in damage, experts say.
Over the past 1,400 years, megaquakes in the Nankai Trough have occurred every 100 to 200 years, according to the government. The last one hit in 1946.
Despite the ever-present danger and frequent emergency drills, authorities face a constant struggle to maintain public awareness and readiness for a major jolt.
A recent NHK survey among 1,269 people who experienced the Kobe quake showed that over 60 per cent of respondents think “the memories and lessons are fading”.
“We need to pass on experiences and lessons to the future also with participation by younger generation people who were born after the quake,” said Motohiko Saito, the governor of Hyogo Prefecture where Kobe is located.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko attended a memorial ceremony in the city, one of several events that took place throughout the day.
The couple on Thursday met with people who experienced the disaster and Akihito told one of them “it must have been very hard,” private national broadcaster TBS reported.
