Strong earthquake hits southern Panama
A strong earthquake hit southern Panama on October 9, 2026. It happened at 12:56 in the afternoon, local time.
Protecting people from natural disasters
Social studies
Grade 4
Japan has met natural disasters again and again: earthquakes, tsunamis, and storms and floods from heavy rain. Each time one strikes, the national, prefectural, and city offices work with local people to protect everyone. Together they build banks and other defences, make disaster plans, hand out hazard maps that show dangerous places and shelters, and set up a headquarters to gather and share information when a disaster happens. Help from government offices is not enough by itself: people helping each other in the community, and each family protecting itself, matter just as much. Thinking about which disasters could happen where you live helps you decide what to prepare now.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Japan writes new guidelines for flooded underpasses
An underpass is a road that goes under another road or a railway. When it rains very hard, water can fill the low part of an underpass.
Monday, October 5, 2026
Company in Japan makes a disaster drill like a play
A company in Japan has made a new kind of disaster drill. It uses ideas from theater and escape games.
Friday, October 2, 2026
Trains on the Uchibo Line stop for three months
Trains are not running on one part of the Uchibo Line, a train line in Japan. The trains stopped because of Typhoon No.
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Typhoon rain breaks lake levee in Chiba, Japan
Heavy rain from Typhoon No. 25 has caused serious flooding in Chiba, an area in Japan near Tokyo.
Friday, September 18, 2026
Kyushu bullet trains run again after big earthquake
Bullet trains in the south of Japan will run again on Friday, September 18. The trains stopped after a big earthquake on July 28.
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Kushiro road will close early before heavy rain
On September 4, 2026, a road office of Japan's transport ministry announced a new rule for a road in Kushiro. Kushiro is a city in Hokkaido, in the north of Japan.
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Japan raises the warning level for Mount Tokachi
On September 12, 2026, at 9:30 in the morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency raised the warning level for Mount Tokachi. The agency is the Japanese government office that watches the weather and volcanoes.
Monday, September 7, 2026
Heavy rain closes a road in Chiba
A road in Chiba, a city in Japan, is closed because of heavy rain. The road is part of Route 16, a big road in Japan.
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Japan holds a big earthquake drill on Disaster Prevention Day
On September 1, the government of Japan held a big earthquake drill. September 1 is Disaster Prevention Day in Japan.