1st Person: Former LCF Resident Lived Through Japan Quake and Sees Lessons for Us

Having lived in both Southern California and Japan, former La Cañada resident Marshall Adams is no stranger to earthquakes.

Last Friday was different.

"I've been in plenty of quakes before, so I figured it'd soon be over. But it just kept going,'' Adams wrote in an e-mail to Patch. He and his family lived in La Cañada for four years, before moving back to Japan in August 2010. Both boys attended .

Adams, his wife Mika Nabeshima and their children, Tyler and Leo, live 250 miles from the off-shore epicenter of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami and killed more than 4,000 people, though the death toll is rising. And even though Adams' home in Yokohama, near Tokyo, is a considerable distance from the northeastern shore of Japan, the violent shaking was unlike anything Adams had ever experienced.

Though his family survived unscathed, Adams said he's thankful they were prepared, and advised other people living in earthquake-prone areas to keep survival kits on hand.

The following is Adams' first-person account of last week's temblor.

I was at home, and the building started shaking. The furniture was moving, so I moved to a doorway in a concrete wall. Our place is the 9th floor, so the building was really rocking. We still have some boxes stacked from moving, so I thought they might fall. A few books fell, one tall floor lamp, and one box of photos.  The file cabinet doors came open, but luckily that's all.

Our 6th grader, Leo, was held in the school gym, so I walked over to get him around 4:30 when the shaking settled down. The schoolkids had to leave without their backpacks and shoes (no going back inside the building). Leo said they stayed under their desks for about 10 minutes before moving to the gym. They have chair cushions that double as head protection, so they all used those against falling objects.

After leaving Leo's school, we went to the supermarket, which was closed, so we stopped at a convenience store.  There was a line of about 15 people but three cashiers kept people moving. Things were calm, and no damage was visible in the store. One person had an armful of water bottles, and another had four to five cups of instant ramen, but there was still plenty of stuff on the shelves. We got the mail (delivered as usual although the post office closed early), and hiked up nine floors (the elevator wasn't working).

Our 9th grader was stuck at school because the trains were stopped (it's about 30 minutes away). He was later able to go home with a friend who lives close to school, where he spent the night. The school sent us frequent email updates (11 or 12), telling where the students were, and how to authorize their release to a third party.

My wife Mika was at work near Tokyo station. The trains were stopped, so she was going to stay overnight in the office or go home with a co-worker (estimated 2.5 hour walk). Phones were jammed, but we were able to communicate by email. Eventually, she was able to get on the bullet train, which stops near our house. Most regular trains were still out of service,  partly to check the tracks, and partly out of concern for aftershocks affecting moving trains (possible derailment, or stranding passengers inside).

We had just re-checked our disaster bag a few weeks ago, so that was ready to go. We have canned water (lasts like 5 years) and emergency noodles which also last years. Flashlights, insurance info and money are other things always ready to go. Other advice we hear is to fill the bathtub immediately, in case water service is cut off.

From the Kobe quake, we know that the toilet is something often forgotten - it takes water to flush!  We slept last night with coats and shoes next to the bed.

One important lesson is that you can't rely on phones in an emergency. Cell phone was nearly zero until this morning, and even landlines didn't connect long distance. It's critical to decide beforehand where you will go in an emergency. We have lots more quakes here than in LA, and Japanese are famously low-key, so the mood around here has been calm.

For the moment, people are staying pretty close to home.  After the Kobe quake ('95), the volunteers came out a couple days later, partly because transportation links were bad, but also because people move cautiously.  

Another trivial fact: public TV had emergency information in Korean, English, Mandarin, Italian and Portuguese. I got several automated emails with earthquake warnings from the Meteorological Agency. I don't think I ever requested them. Tokyo opened public high schools  as rest stations for people walking home over long distances (since most people commute by train, the second option is often walking for several hours).

We saw many videos of emergency shelters (schools and other public facilities), and the staffs seemed to have things under control, with water, blankets, generators, food and such.

The nuclear power plant in Fukushima seems to be an exception.  The 4 or 5 emergency diesel generators all failed, so cooling the reactor is a worry. Of course that is very close to the quake center. We're still fine.

Google says we're 174 miles south from the Fukushima plant. TV experts here say that people within 12 miles are still safe with the current level of radiation, and the prevailing winds are from west to east, so I think we are safe for the time being.  The US Embassy here just recommended that Americans evacuate to at least 50 miles as a precaution.