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Abstract
Japan is the best prepared country when it comes to earthquakes. Things are different in Romania, but the earthquake possibility and debate are always present and reflected in the media and people's narratives. This joined research engages in a thorough understanding of earthquakes and their impact by trying to combine a technical and a cultural approach.
Keywords: earthquake, natural hazards, Romania, Japan, prevention, cultural representations
1. INTRODUCTION
In this millennium it is estimated that significant earthquakes will damage several cities and mega-cities located close to regions of known seismic hazard. Several of these estimated earthquakes have already happened, like the Great East Japan Disaster (3.11) or the more recent two in Nepal this spring. A significant body of literature has appeared after and on 3.11 and the reactions to the very recent earthquakes in Nepal make this topic very timely, globally and within the Japan-Romania relations context.
One thing seismology - technology - mainstream theology -and culture - have in common is an insistenceon the limits of our knowledge. We still have no way to accurately predict the time of any earthquake before the shaking starts. Expanding on this common point and arguing that there is no action related to earthquakes, if there is no cultural and social understanding of them, the paper is structured into two parts.
The first part is conveyinga culturalintroduction of the earthquake. In order to ensure an educated Romanian public when it comes to earthquakes, one has to understand how they are represented. Also, to be able to learn from the Japanese example, one has to determine what is transferrable. We shall see for instance that when it comes to fear, different attitudes or beliefs may source from different religious and moral traditions.
The second part discusses the technical management of this natural phenomenon.VranceaEpicenterranks Romania among the European Countries with the highest seismic activity. Bucharest is considered one of the most vulnerable cities in case of a major earthquake. Public information about shelters, disaster education and retrofiring damaged buildings with a high risk of collapse are projects that the Romanian Government and the civil society invest with significant time and money.
2. CULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS
2.1. Fearing the Earthquake
"'Earthquake!' she yells. 'Did you feel it?'I swear. She curses....