Hokkaido earthquake earth and sand disaster survivors “mostly sleep on the second floor” | NHK News

Hokkaido earthquake earth and sand disaster survivor "Mostly go to bed on the second floor" September 3, 5:18

NHK's interview revealed that most of the people who survived their homes washed away by earth and sand during the Hokkaido earthquake last September were on the second floor. In heavy rains, you may be called to stay on the second floor or higher of the building, but experts point out that being on the second floor in an earthquake disaster helped protect you.

A large-scale landslide occurred in Atsuma-cho, where a maximum seismic intensity of 7 was observed in the early September 6th Hokkaido earthquake, killed 36 people in 21 households.

There were 16 people who lost their families due to landslides and survived, but as a result of interviews with NHK and their relatives, at least 14 of them were sleeping on the second floor and found it helpful. It was.

On the other hand, many of those who died are believed to have slept on the first floor.

Tadao Nakamura (57), who had a home in the Horori district of the town, was also saved on the second floor, but his mother Miyo (76 at the time) on the first floor died.

Nakamura-san said, “The flowing sediment washed away only the first floor like a daruma drop. I think my mother was saved if she slept on the second floor.”

In the event of a heavy rain, you may be called to stay on the second floor or higher of the building, but experts point out that being on the second floor in an earthquake disaster has helped protect you.

Prof. Hiroshi Takahashi of the Hokkaido University Earthquake and Volcano Research and Observation Center analyzes that “the collapsed earth and sand was a thin layer, so the damage was concentrated on the first floor, but the second floor escaped major damage”.

On top of that, “I don't know when an earthquake will occur, so if there is a risk of a landslide, such as when the house is near a cliff, one of the measures is to make the bedroom a room away from the cliff on the second floor. In addition to heavy rain disasters and earthquakes, it is necessary to develop a disaster prevention plan with the risk of steep slopes in mind. "