Natural Disaster Response in Japan and Fiji
My work with natural disasters has largely taken me to developing countries—like Haiti, Indonesia and Central America. My trip to Japan a few weeks ago offered interesting insights on how a large and powerful country deals with a major natural disaster. The facts of the Great East Japan earthquake are well-known: a powerful 9.0 earthquake on 11 March followed minutes later by a tsunami with waves over 100 feet, destroying 120,000 buildings and causing over $300 billion in economic damages. The final casualty figures aren’t in, but are likely to top 20,000. It’s a testament to Japan’s pioneering work in developing earthquake-resistant construction that only 100 people were killed in the earthquake itself. The tsunami was the big killer.“I’ve never seen anything like it,” an international disaster expert told me. “The scale of the devastation across 300 miles is unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it.” “But wait a minute, you worked in the 2004 tsunami, right?” I asked. He nodded and went on: “Yes, in the tsunami, in the 2005 Pakistani earthquake, in Haiti last year, in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis in 2008—I’ve worked in all the major disasters for the past 20 years. That’s what I do. And I tell you, I’ve never seen anything like the scale of destruction I’ve seen here.”
But in spite of the disaster two months earlier, Tokyo looks normal—the subway is crowded, the streets are bustling. It takes me a while to notice that the air conditioning is off in the metro, that many of the escalators are not running, that the halls in the office buildings I visit are dark and that there seem to be a lot of Japanese businessmen who aren’t wearing coats and ties. The effects of the damaged nuclear facilities are felt on a daily basis. What sets the Japanese disaster apart from every other disaster that has occurred so far is the damage to the nuclear power plants and resulting leaks of radioactive material. While I am there, the government announces that more nuclear power plants will be shut down for testing and urges residents to conserve energy further. Also while I am there, (feeling guilty for using the air conditioning on in my hotel room) the government reverses itself and says that there will be no new nuclear power plants built in the country. Japan presently gets about 30 percent of its electricity from nuclear power.
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The plans in Japan seem ambitious, but this is a developed country where people who lost everything in the disaster are beginning to receive appliance packages (including a refrigerator, microwave oven, television, rice cooker, washing machine and
Professional Rice Cookers in the Home
Of all the professional restaurant kitchen appliances, rice cookers are not the most adaptable to household use. Although there are some design differences that take the need for extended warming into consideration, the commercial rice cooker and the styles made for consumer use have distinct differences and similarities.
One of the major differences between standard kitchen rice cookers and professional ones is the capacity. Professional rice cookers are designed to produce a much higher quantity of cooked rice. Their capacity can be anywhere from 10 to 55 cups, usually.
It is important for the shopper for a professional rice cooker to remember that the capacity can be in Chinese measurements which is 2 ounces less than the standard 8 ounce cup. For use in the home, the capacity may be too much. Some may also have difficulty adjusting to the different measurements.
Professional rice cookers are also available as gas or electrically powered . Many models are equipped to use either liquid petroleum such as propane or natural gas. Rice cookers that use gas usually cost hundreds of dollars more than their electric counterparts. Professional electric rice cookers generally use 110 – 120 volts. Most household kitchens can support 120 volts.
The “keep warm” feature is not as common in professional rice cookers as it is in standard ones made for home use. Separate rice warmers may be necessary for commercial use. Once the rice is cooked, it is transferred to the warmer to free the cooker up for the preparation of another batch in the commercial setting.
Professional rice cookers are not generally equipped to do anything but cook rice. Unlike most standard home use rice cookers, there will be no steamer basket and the user will not have the flexibility of preparing other dishes in the professional rice cooker.
Professional rice cookers take up more space in the kitchen than the standard consumer rice cookers. Generally standing at around 20 inches high as well as 20 inches across, these appliances can weigh up to 50 pounds .
Professional rice cookers are not only designed to prepare rice well but to prepare a lot of rice at one time.
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