Japan panel drafts response plan for Mount Fuji eruption

News Image

  • Japan panel drafts response plan for Mount Fuji eruption

A Japanese panel of experts issued guidance to greater Tokyo residents on Friday in the event Mount Fuji erupts, telling them to stay indoors unless the ashfall becomes severe.
The guidelines were issued to the region’s more than 44 million residents by experts, convened by the Cabinet Office. The panel also called on municipalities and households to maintain emergency supplies like food and water in case the 3,776-metre volcano were to erupt.
Mount Fuji last erupted in 1707. In the worst-case scenario, a massive eruption of Japan’s highest peak could spew 30 centimetres of ash (nearly 12 inches) or more over Tokyo, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) northeast of the volcano, the panel said.
This amount of ashfall could destroy wooden houses, particularly if combined with rain, the report said, urging residents to evacuate in such cases.
Even with less severe ashfall, damage to large buildings is expected, like school gyms that are often used as evacuation centres, the report said. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar