They talk about disaster prevention, but is having supplies enough?

I sometimes see disaster prevention features on TV, but...

Sometimes, news programs on TV feature segments on disaster prevention.

My family watches NHK, but I don't know if other stations have similar programs.

On NHK, it seems that they often focus on confirming evacuation sites and routes in one's residential area, as well as introducing items and food that should be or are good to have in a disaster backpack.

I have no objection to that in itself.

Is it over once you put things in a disaster backpack?

However, as those who have actually prepared disaster supplies, put them in a backpack, and tried carrying it know, a disaster backpack containing necessary supplies has a certain amount of weight.

Furthermore, you need to be able to carry it while walking for a certain amount of time.

Depending on the situation, you might not be able to enter a nearby evacuation site or facility, and you may need to travel a long distance.

If that happens, I think you can understand that you need enough physical strength and muscle power to walk while carrying a backpack for a certain amount of time without getting exhausted.

If you have no health problems and know how to use your body to walk while carrying some weight, it should be fine.

But, is that the case for most people?

Do you have the physical strength and muscle power to perform the necessary movements?

For people who are not used to carrying heavy backpacks, there is a possibility that they could hurt their lower back when trying to stand up while wearing one.

People who habitually walk while looking at their smartphones, do desk work, have poor posture, suffer from stiff necks or shoulders that impede blood flow, or have weakened lower body muscles may not be able to move appropriately in an emergency.

When thinking about disaster prevention, it is important not only to confirm evacuation sites, evacuation routes, and disaster goods, but also to ensure you have the physical strength and muscle power to perform the necessary movements.

If you cannot carry a heavy load, you might need to reduce the amount or consider a different method.

Depending on the situation, that might be an action that increases the risk to your own life.

Examine things carefully for yourself

Also, regarding the confirmation of disaster goods, you should not just take experts' recommendations at face value, but examine them carefully for yourself.

Furthermore, if you realize that 'in an emergency, I need this much, but I cannot carry it with my current physical strength,' then I think you should perform the necessary training.

What kind of mindset to live by every day

As I have mentioned several times in past articles, I have been living since around November 2020 with the awareness that 'we are currently in wartime'.

If asked whether I am in a state where I can instantly do what is necessary when a disaster occurs, I have to say that the situation is very questionable.

Therefore, I always set some kind of goal for myself and work hard to improve my physical strength and stamina, as well as to acquire and improve other necessary skills.

Regarding exercise, I do what I can inside the house, and what I can do using the roads and stairs outside the house.

Training methods: Isometric method, stair training

I learned about this training itself from Shunsuke Funase's'The Man Who Survives No Matter What Happens to the Company in 10 Years Is a Lean Macho'.

The necessity of acquiring communication skills and survival techniques

In addition, I think it would be reassuring to acquire communication skills and basic survival techniques.

I am constantly learning and using trial and error for the former.

As for the latter, self-study is the best I can do for now, but I would like to learn through courses and the like in the future.

Makoto Katayama's'Survival Techniques for Emergencies Jr.'uses expressions and illustrations that children can understand to clearly explain the information and ways of thinking necessary to 'acquire the skills and mindset to survive in an emergency,' making it perfect as an introduction to survival techniques.

Here, it might be good to acquire the necessary knowledge, or think about it, learn what you can do little by little, and then read books or take courses to further brush up your skills.

Daily efforts are not in vain

Of course, even if you do not encounter a major disaster, the abilities, muscle strength, and physical stamina you have trained daily will not go to waste.

They will surely be very useful in your work and daily life.

If your physical agility and stamina improve, and you can make good use of them in your work, your evaluation from those around you will also rise.

If you have sufficient stamina, you can also take on the role of covering for injured people or those who are not confident in their physical strength.

Thinking about it this way, even if a disaster itself is an extraordinary phenomenon, it seems that there are many ideas in disaster prevention and survival that can be applied to daily life.

What should we do every day to deal with things that might happen just a little bit ahead in our daily lives?

Perhaps that kind of mindset is what is necessary.