A Japanese company has donated seismic earthquake early warning devices to the Zagreb cathedral, the Zagreb Archdiocese press office said on Wednesday.

The devices were also donated to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Zagreb’s Remete district, the Klaiceva Street Children’s Hospital and Sisters of Charity Hospital.

“After the earthquake occurred in Zagreb (in March 2020), I learned from UNESCO and the Japanese Embassy what had happened and decided to donate these devices through them. I want Croatian citizens to be prepared for earthquakes,” said Kazuo Sasaki, the director of Challenge Co..

Disaster preparedness is important so people are not afraid and can continue with their everyday lives peacefully, he added.

Sasaki visited the cathedral and said that the device was created at the initiative of the Japanese Meteorological Agency, which was working on a disaster alarm system.

The device detects initial earthquake wave a few seconds before people can feel it as well as the epicentre and its strength. It sends signals to relevant institutions to prepare people for the earthquake and reduce panic.

Soon after the destructive earthquakes struck Croatia in March and December last year, the Croatian delegation to UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture and Media established emergency protection protocols that were followed by support from international partners.

UNESCO offered support in rebuilding damaged cultural heritage, provided financial assistance through its emergency fund and organised the public-private donation with Challenge Co.

The delegation that visited the Zagreb cathedral on Wednesday included First Secretary at the Japanese Embassy to Croatia Chie Oshima, Secretary-General in the Croatian delegation to UNESCO Rut Carek and seismology expert Tomislav Fiket. The delegation was received by the vice president of the cathedral’s reconstruction task force Msgr Zlatko Koren and the head of the archdiocesan press office, Tomislav Hacko.