Posted on Monday, March 14th, 2011 at 12:04 pm

International students traveling overseas typically are concerned about their new school, learning a new language, culture shock perhaps, but what about the rare occurrence like a natural disaster? On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced the largest earthquake in recorded history at an 8.9 magnitude earthquake. The Department of State issued a Travel Alert to inform individuals still in Japan of power outages, evacuated areas, and the possibility of aftershock and tsunamis until April 1, 2011. Starting on Monday, March 14, scheduled 3-hour power outages are scheduled for the Tokto Metroplitan area which can be viewed at the Tokyo Electric Power Company.

Radio stations are also reporting this emergency information in the Tokyo area in English including on the U.S. Armed Forces station at 810AM and InterFM at 76.1FM. According to the  Department of State, aftershocks are likely in the coming weeks. The Red Cross recommends moving into open spaces and away from walls, windows, buildings and other structures that may collapse. If you are inside, seek cover under a sturdy desk or table and press your face into your arms. If internet and telephone services are down, you may be able to contact people using text message/SMS or other forms of social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Those members trying to get in contact with loved ones should be aware of the following:

• AT&T and Verizon are offering free calls and texts to Japan
• NTT Docomo Safety Reponse and KDDI Disaster Message Board offers a disaster message board where you can enter a mobile number/email address to confirm safety
• Japan Shelter Map by Google
• Red Cross Tsunami Checklist
• Red Cross Twitter Page

If you have an insurance plan, you will want to contact your insurance company to see if your plan includes coverage for natural disaster. Contact information should be listed on the back of your ID card.

Posted by Jennifer Frankel

Jennifer is the International Director at International Student Insurance. Jennifer is a graduate of the University of Florida where she holds a Masters in International Business and a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. She has lived and worked abroad in Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica and England, and traveled extensively in South America, Europe and Asia.