First Reaction - Disaster Relief Operation   [open pdf - 77KB]

From the abstract: "I wrote this paper about my experiences on May 26, 2003 and August 17, 2006 when a strong earthquake hit the Miyagi-Prefecture Area. Just after the earthquakes, we are usually confused. The situation caused a lack of information, damage of facilities, and may other problems. Fortunately these earthquakes did not cause havoc over a wide area and we did not have to mount a rescue operation. I will review the two cases, when the earthquakes occurred, what we did, and what we will need for the next operation."