The 5.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday calls on the nation -- both government and the people -- to prepare for worse to come. Priorities should be set fast and actions should be taken accordingly.

One of the factors making earthquakes so frightening is that unlike other natural disasters like typhoons and hurricanes, they cannot be forecast. That we cannot predict them precisely, however, does not mean we cannot do anything to minimize their damage.

One of the first tasks facing the nation is getting ready for the possibility that the latest quake, the second-strongest since the nation began to officially monitor and record seismic activities in 1978, could unleash more powerful tremors.

Recent cases attest to the probability. The 5.8 magnitude quake that pounded Gyeongju in September last year came a week after a less powerful 5.1 magnitude hit the area.

In Kumamoto, Japan, the strongest 7.4 magnitude jolt that struck the region in April last year was preceded by a 7.1 magnitude tremor.

Even if Pohang fortunately avoids the pattern of Gyeongju and Kumamoto, it could be still months or longer before it is free from aftershocks, which have already numbered more than 50. Gyeongju has had about 630 aftershocks since the major jolt hit the area on Sept. 12 last year.

The probability of a more powerful quake and the continuing aftershocks in Pohang call on authorities to hasten efforts to examine damage incurred by Wednesday’s tremor. Priorities should be given to buildings, roads, power and fuel supply lines and utilities, including those underground. Those that have already sustained damage may not be able to withstand additional shocks.

It is evident we should brace for worse things to come. As the Gyeongju and Pohang quakes show, Korea is not safe from one of the cruelest curses of nature.

Experts note that Gyeongju and Pohang are separated by only 34 kilometers and that the two quakes came within a period of 14 months. That raises the possibility of the displacement of the Yangsan Fault that links Gyeongju, Busan and Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province.

They said the Gyeongju tremor was the result of a rupture in the 170-kilometer fault. The problem is that there are several more active faults in the region. Meticulous examination of the faults in the region is urgently required.

One more urgent task is to reinforce quake-resistant capabilities of buildings and facilities. The damage done to those in Pohang shows how vulnerable buildings in Korea are to earthquakes.

Government statistics shows that only 40.9 percent of public facilities like railroads, bridges and schools were built to resist earthquakes.

If only kindergartens and primary and secondary schools are counted, the comparable rate is just 25.3 percent. It is hardly a surprise many of the buildings that sustained damage from the Pohang quake were on school campuses.

A bigger cause for concern is the figure is 18.7 percent in North Gyeongsang Province. It is not ironic, but most troubling that the region that is most vulnerable to quakes has the lowest rate of quake-proof school buildings.

Besides schools, high priority should be given to such key facilities as nuclear power plants, heavy industrial sites like chemical plants and oil refineries. The Pohang tremor has not yet caused any serious impact on the major industrial facilities in the region, but it is too early to heave a sigh of relief.

After the Gyeongju tremor, the government announced plans to spend 3 trillion won ($2.7 billion) by 2020 to raise the portion of quake-resistant buildings to 54 percent. But we have seen no major progress in that plan.

The panic that swept through Pohang and its vicinity should convince government officials and the people of the need to raise the level of public awareness as to the danger of earthquakes.

It is frustrating that we are unable to foresee underground rumblings, but there definitely are means and measures to minimize the losses of property and lives when a major tremor strikes. The government ought to expand financial and human resources to achieve the goal.