China's microblogs are once again talking about disaster prevention following the recent flooding in Beijing.

China is a disaster prone country. It is a good thing that people take the initiative to care about disaster prevention and self-help. This means people's safety consciousness has increased. But just reading information on microblogs isn't enough.

Microblogs are a good place for the dissemination of information and exchange of knowledge. However, it is hard to keep it up. Disaster prevention and self-help can't be realized through short-term efforts.

These challenges require professional skills. Without professional counseling, it is difficult for ordinary people to know the ropes.

It is regrettable that disaster prevention and relief only become a public topic after disasters. It will not be long before these concerns fade from our memory. This kind of tragedy has been seen many a time. To some extent, our "forgetfulness" has become an incurable disease.

China is a backward country when it comes to disaster training. Even today, our training and education for disasters is not good enough, and has become a mere formality in some places. When a disaster strikes, people will find it difficult to face up.

In fact, we have the experience of many other countries to learn from. The Japanese receive disaster training throughout their whole lives. Schools, enterprises and government agencies are all required to have earthquake education and training.

Therefore, the Japanese public stays calm when earthquakes strike. This is the fruit of lengthy training and education instead of short-term heated online discussion.

But in comparison, a lack of training caused much panic when the Fukushima nuclear disaster erupted in 2011. This demonstrates the importance of training and education in disaster prevention from broad perspectives, not just preparing for specific calamities.

Many disasters have struck China in recent years. We need to train to be prepared for them now, rather than be taken aback when they arrive.

Disaster prevention education could be incorporated into the education system from primary school to college, various career education and qualification exams, compulsory training programs of enterprises and governments, and collective activities in rural areas and urban communities. That way the public can be prepared over the long-term when disaster hits.



The author is deputy director of Public Relations and Public Opinion Institute of the Communication University of China. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn