Heavy rain Kumamoto disaster victims survey 33% "vertical evacuation"

Heavy rain Kumamoto victims survey 33% “vertical evacuation” August 4 14:51

One year out of 100 people, NHK conducted a questionnaire about 100 people suffered from damage in the prefecture one month before the record damage caused by heavy rainfall in Kumamoto prefecture. I found out that I was doing so-called "vertical evacuation" to the second floor of my home. It can be seen that the residents were unable to take any action to ensure safety in advance because unexpected rain fell from the early morning to early morning.

At the end of last month, NHK conducted a questionnaire survey by interviewing 104 people who were hit in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kuma Village, Sakamoto Town, Yatsushiro City, and Ashikita Town, which were severely damaged by record heavy rain.

Among them, when asked where they evacuated at that time, the so-called "vertical evacuation" to the second floor of their home was the most common with 33%, followed by "high places other than home" with 26%, "relatives and acquaintances' homes" Was 14% and “designated shelter” was 11%.

On the other hand, when asked about the reasons for starting evacuation with multiple answers, "Rising water level of the river" was the most common with 38%, followed by "Housing flooding started" at 27%, and "Call for relatives and residents" was 20%. %, “Disaster prevention administration radio” was 8%, and “TV and radio information” was 6%.

In these areas, evacuation advisories and evacuation orders were issued one after another from late night to dawn on the 3rd, but when asked about the evacuation time, it was 4 o'clock on the 4th when a special warning of heavy rain was issued. Only one in four responded that they evacuated before 50 minutes.

Regarding the situation at that time, the situation was already when the evacuation started, such as ``I was asleep and did not notice the inundation, I hurried to evacuate to the second floor'' or ``I tried to evacuate but could not go out'' In addition to the voices saying that the situation had deteriorated, there were also voices saying, “I knew the information calling for evacuation, but I thought that it was okay from my experience so far”.

From the questionnaire, it can be seen that the residents did not take any action to secure their safety in advance, because it rained more than expected from dawn to early morning.

"Vertical evacuation" cannot help my father

Sadanori Nagao (56), from Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto, runs a pickle store that has continued for three generations from his grandfather's generation.

32 years ago, I returned to my hometown and inherited the technique and taste from my father Makoto (88).

This heavy rain killed Makoto-san due to a muddy stream in my home about 300 meters away from the Kuma River.

Mr. Nagao's evacuation trigger was that water began to enter the housing grounds.

Regarding the situation at the time, Mr. Nagao said, "It was noisy outside, and when I saw the situation around 7 o'clock in the morning, the water was in front of my house."

Mr. Nagao urged his father and mother who live in the main house to evacuate, but the two were 88 and 89 years old, and Makoto was unable to walk without using his stick and suffered from dementia. ..

Nagao first evacuated his mother to the rooftop using the outer stairs of a concrete building.

We decided that the situation was urgent and took a “vertical evacuation”.

At this time, the water was as high as under the knee.

I went back to the main building again and urged Makoto to evacuate many times, but I couldn't move easily.

Mr. Nagao said, "When I try to pull my hand or carry on my back, my body is stiff, saying, "Is it okay, is it okay?" The water was already on my knees, and I was alone. I decided that it would be impossible to evacuate with the help of, and I would call for help."

Mr. Nagao tried to ask the local fire brigade for help, but he couldn't get it.

I finally found an acquaintance and tried to return to the room where Ms. Makoto was, but the water had already reached the ceiling on the first floor, and I could not do anything.

After that, Mr. Nagao was rescued with his mother on a fire boat.

About my feelings when I left the place with my father left, "It was too fast for the water to come up. I'm sorry that I couldn't help because of my lack of power. Sorry for not helping me. I want to say."

Makoto was found lying down on his back in the living room flooded with water that evening.

Mr. Nagao confirmed the weather information on TV and radio the day before, but he did not think that evacuation was necessary in advance and decided that it would not rain more than the flood damage of the Kuma River that he had experienced in the past. Did.

Mr. Nagao said, "I don't remember when I was two, but I thought the flood damage in 1965 was the worst. I heard that my father also ran away with me at a fire brigade at that time. After that, I didn't expect it to flood due to flood damage, because I never got into the water. I think my thoughts were weak."

Mr. Nagao has renewed his determination to continue the store to preserve the taste of the pickles his father made.

Mr. Nagao said, "I think I could have lived for another 5 or 10 years without water damage, and I couldn't save my life. I left the company that I inherited from my grandfather from my father and from my father to future generations. I have a desire to do that."