Tokyo roads blocked in earthquake drill

Police stopped traffic, to practise for dealing with quake-triggered gridlock in Tokyo. Health effects of radiation Life on edge of exclusion zone Moment tsunami hit Fukushima Japanese police have blocked main roads in Tokyo during rush hour in an elaborate earthquake drill. It is the first time the authorities have attempted to simulate the gridlock that would occur after a major disaster. People across Japan hold drills every year on 1 September. This year it has been taken even more seriously than usual because of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the north-east of the country in March. At precisely 09:00 (00:00GMT) sirens howled and whistles blew as the police stepped into roads and blocked them. For 10 minutes traffic was stopped at 100 points in greater Tokyo, the biggest urban area in the world. The aim was to practice how emergency vehicles would get through, while schools and business across the country also practised evacuations. And the cabinet held a simulated emergency meeting at the prime minister's office. The elaborate drills, and an early warning system of loudspeakers, are credited with keeping the death toll in March below 16,000, with another 4,258 still missing.