30.11.2025 12:15
Japanese earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki stated that Turkey is an earthquake-prone country due to its six tectonic plates and emphasized the need to be prepared accordingly. He highlighted the importance of avoiding the use of stairs during an earthquake and drew attention to the "triangle of life." Moriwaki recommended keeping water, food, a whistle, salt, and cling film in an emergency bag, explaining that salt would help prevent loss of strength and cling film would protect against the cold.
Japanese earthquake expert Yoshinori Moriwaki participated in a talk at the 7th Book Fair organized by Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality. Hüseyin Koçan, Advisor to the Mayor of Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilek Okuyucu from the Civil Engineering Department of Erzurum Technical University were present at the talk, where Moriwaki compared Turkey and Japan.
"THERE IS NO COUNTRY AS COMPLEX AS THIS IN THE WORLD"
Stating that there are 4 tectonic plates in Japan, Moriwaki expressed that Turkey is a very complex country with 6 tectonic plates. Moriwaki said, "In Turkey, there is the Anatolian plate, and from the south, there are the African, Arabian, Aegean, Black Sea, and Eurasian plates. The Eurasian plate is much larger. In the west, there is Turkey, in the middle, there is India. In the east, there is China and Japan. Japan has 4 plates, while Turkey has 6 plates. There is no country as complex as this in the world. That’s why we live in an earthquake country. We must accept this," he stated.
"AVOID THE STAIRS"
In his speech, Moriwaki also gave advice, explaining the importance of the triangle of life and stating that stairs should not be used. He noted that stairs are unstable compared to normal places, saying, "Sometimes during an earthquake, only the stairs collapse or the collapse starts from the stairs. In 2020, when there was an earthquake in Izmir, there was a building where the collapse started from the stairs and only the stairs collapsed. In the earthquakes in Hatay and Maraş, the stairs were the most damaged. Therefore, one should avoid using the stairs. I can say that the triangle of life is better," he said.
SALT AND CLING FILM
Moriwaki also provided information on what should be included in an earthquake bag, stating that it is important to have water, a metal whistle, and chocolate or honey. He recommended including salt and cling film in the bag, saying: "You might be hearing for the first time what salt is doing in the triangle of life. If there is water, you can survive for a month. But after two weeks, there is a loss of strength. Why is there a loss of strength? Salt is important for humans. Without salt, this loss of strength occurs. Therefore, you should put salt on your tongue every 2-3 days. Cling film is very useful. If it is inside the earthquake bag, it would be very good. On February 6, during the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, there was snow, it was cold. People went outside in their pajamas. If there is cling film in the bag, even if you don’t have a coat, if you wrap it over your pajamas, then the heat does not escape. It keeps you warm like a thick coat."
TRAINING STARTS FROM PRESCHOOL
Moriwaki stated that earthquake training in Turkey is conducted once or twice a year as drills, saying, "You conduct drills for children. Once or twice a year. The drill starts with a whistle or announcement. Since it is done only once a year, children forget what to do. In Japan, it is not once or twice a year; it is once a month at school, once a month in the neighborhood. In other words, training is conducted 2-3 times a month. So when the whistle or announcement is made for the drill, the child remembers what to do. In Japan, training starts in preschool as a game," he said.