TOWARDS A NEW KOBE

TWENTY YEARS AFTER THE

JANUARY 17, 1995

EARTHQUAKE DISASTER

KOBE, JAPAN

EARTHQUAKE

BASED ON REPORTS PREPARED

INDIVIDUALLY AND JOINTLY BY

USA AND JAPANESE AGENCIES,

EERI, AND MANY EDUCATIONAL

INSTITUTIONS

Mw 6.9

Depth: 24 km (15 miles)

5:46 am

JANUARY 17, 1995

EACH EARTHQUAKE IS AN

OPPORTUNITY TO ADD TO

THE “GLOBAL BOOK OF

KNOWLEDGE” ON

OCCURRENCES,

CONSEQUENCES, AND

DISASTER RISK

REDUCTION MEASURES

SUMMARY OF ACCUMULATED

KNOWLEDGE

• Ground shaking and fires

together destroyed over

150,000 buildings and left about

300,000 people homeless.

• The economic loss as a result

of this earthquake is estimated

to have reached $200 billion.

SUMMARY OF ACCUMULATED

KNOWLEDGE

• The earthquake resulted in

more than 6,000 deaths and

over 30,000 injuries.

• 600 Fires following the earth-

quake incinerated the

equivalent of 70 U.S. city

blocks.

OCCURRENCE

• The Kobe earthquake was NOT

the typical subduction zone

earthquake of the region.

• It was generated by slip on the

Median Tectonic Line (a strike-slip

fault).

SOCIETAL IMPACTS

BUILDINGS

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

• Kobe, a city of 1.5 million, was

devastated.

• Buildings of all types and ages

collapsed.

• Entire blocks of apartments

failed.

SOCIETAL IMPACTS

LIFELINES

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

• The Hanshin Expressway, an elevated

highway system, collapsed, and other

systems failed as a result of the

strong ground shaking.

• Utility outages were widespread due

to liquefaction and lateral spreads.

HANSHIN EXPRESSWAY

• At least two people died when the

elevated section of the Hanshin

motorway connecting Osaka to

Kobe collapsed in three places.

• 50 cars went off the edge and a

bus was left hanging over the

edge.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

• The port of Kobe lost its

position as the world’s 2nd

largest container shipper.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• Hundreds of people trapped under

the rubble of collapsed houses and

buildings were rescued.

• Damaged gas and water lines,

highway systems, and fires

hindered search and rescue

efforts and emergency response.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• Emergency response of the central

government was efficient after a slow

initial start the fist day of the quake.

Japan and the USA Formed

a High Level Committee on

“Earthquake Risk Reduction

Policy that met for 3 years

GOAL: DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

POLICY

RECOVERY/RE-

CONSTRCTION

ALL ELEMENTS ARE

INTERRELATED

PREPAREDNESS PROTECTION

PREVENTION

EARLY

WARNING

EM.

RESPONSE

HANSNIN EXPRESSWAY

TEN YEARS LATER

A New Kobe

JAPAN CONVENED 1ST WORLD

CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK

REDUCTION IN KOBE IN 2005

HIGHLIGHTS OF 1st WORLD

CONFERENCE

:

The Kobe Story

The 2004 Banda Ache

Earthquake and Tsunami

FIFTEEN YEARS LATER:

AMAZING RECOVERY AND

RECONSTRUCTION

RECOVERY AND

RECONSTRUCTION

• Kobe Port has recovered.

• Building codes and lifeline standards

were improved significantly during the

reconstruct-ion phase.

• Major reconstruction was

accomplished in a short time.