Lessons From the 1995 Kobe Earthquake

1
Lessons From the 1995 Kobe Earthquake
For us it is not if but when we will have an
earthquake on Hayward Fault. Kobe, a modern
Japanese port city - very similar in
circumstances to Oakland - has many lessons for
us.

• Personal Notes - Fall 2005
• Council Member Jean Quan

2
Kobe Oakland Similarities

• Both have active faults
• Both are port cities up against hills with land
  fill along bay
  
• Both are highly populated urban cities
• Both have freeways built along port areas subject
  to liquefaction damage
  

3
January 17, 1995, 546 am

• The Great Hanshin Earthquake registered 7.3 on
  the Richter scale (Loma Prieta 7.1)
  
• It lasted 20 seconds

4
The Human Cost

• 5500 were killed
• 15,000 were injured
• 250,000 were evacuated
• 58 of those who died were over 60
• Total population 1.5 million, more than 3 times
  Oaklands population
  

5
Structural Damage

• About 67,000 or 15
• of the buildings were destroyed (same
  predicted for the Hayward Fault)
  
• Another 55,000 were heavily damaged.
• The port was closed
• 200 Billion in damages

6
More Damage Was Caused by Fire

• Much of the worst destruction was not caused
  directly by the earthquake but by the hundreds of
  
  
• fires that it caused.
• 54 fires broke out immediately
• 175 fires in all
• About 7000 buildings were destroyed by fire

7
Fires After Earthquakes
Tokyo Earthquake Fire 1800s
Fires often cause more destruction than the
initial earthquakes

San Francisco Earthquake 1906
8
(No Transcript)
9
Search Rescue

• 60 of the victims were rescued by family,
  neighbors and other civilians.

10
Emergency Shelter

• 600 Shelters were opened
• 32,000 temporary housing units built

Kobe City Hall served as a shelter
11
Utilities

• City-wide Power Failure
• Phone 25 failure
• Water almost city-wide failure
• Industrial water city-wide failure
• Gas 80 failure
• Sewage of 7 facilities, 2 were at reduced
  capacity, 1 was inoperable
  
• Refuse all facilities were inoperable

12
Utility Restoration

• Electricity 7 days after earthquake
• Telephone 15 days after earthquake
• Water 91 days after earthquake
• Industrial water 84 days after earthquake
• Gas 85 days after earthquake
• Sewage 135 days after earthquake

13
Reconstruction

• It took over 3 years to complete demolition
  debris removal
  
• 82,000 permanent homes planned, about half will
  have some government subsidy.

14
10 Years Later Replacement Housing Is Still Being
Built

• New high rise housing built as part of
  redevelopment stands behind, temporary housing
  being built for families still waiting for
  permanent housing. The random lottery for
  housing, scattered many historic, tight knit
  communities. This was especially a hardship for
  seniors left without family and social support
  and is now considered a mistake.

15
More Fire Hydrants, Wider Streets

• Street Widening Project Narrow streets delayed
  fire fighters wider arterials more hydrants
  are constructed in the rebuilt areas
  

16
Earthquake Preparation Today

• The Disaster Reduction Human Renovation Museum
  operates as a memorial, regional training center
  for disaster preparedness, and center for
  survivor programs addressing post traumatic
  effects.

Exhibits tell hundreds of personal stories about
earthquake and what has happened since?

17
Community Training
Community volunteer demonstrates parts of the
city at risk for tsunamis.

Volunteer Women Fire Fighters Take a Class at the
Center

18
Personal Preparedness
Key staff prepared to stay for days, note
sleeping bag suitcase

Personal Emergency Kits
19
Emergency Roads Designated

• Ancient Japanese legends explained earthquakes
  as the movement of giant catfish under the ocean.
  Today these catfish signs designate Emergency
  Vehicle Only Roads for disasters.

20
Kobe Emergency Operating Center

• Like us, they have a regional Emergency Operating
  Center to coordinate disaster relief efforts.

21
Kobe Port Memorial

• San Francisco 1906Loma Prieta 1989 Kobe
  1995Katrina 2005Learning from the Past to Save
  Lives in the Future.