Weather disaster and information

1. Previous landslides in Kobe

In 1938, the Hanshin Flood occurred. In this disaster, 731 people were killed and after this flood, several disaster prevention measures such as barriers to control soil erosion and tree planting were carried out. In 1961, we had a heavy rain and many houses near mountains received severe damage and after this heavy rain, constructing new buildings without satisfying strict restrictions on the dangerous sites near mountains was banned. In 1967, we had a heavy rain and 100 people were killed. This disaster is said to have been a man-made disaster due to the construction work done with some corner-cutting.

The reason why many landslide disasters occur in Kobe is because there are many faults in Kobe and its ground is soft. As for other reasons, we can cite the weathering of granite rock and treeless mountains.

2. Recent weather disasters

Since 1960, the type of disaster has changed from flood to debris-avalanche. According to this change, we have to avoid serious damage by establishing barriers to control soil erosion and taking refuge swiftly. The indicators of a debris-avalanche are 1) a heavy rain upstream, 2) a change in smell and 3) a decrease in water level. When we have 30mm of precipitation, a landslide might occur and when we have more than 50mm of precipitation, a debris-avalanche might occur. So we have to be careful about the precipitation in a heavy rain and prepare for evacuation.

3. Measures against disasters

Now using the information from RADAR, we can predict the amount of rain with extreme precision. The Meteorological Agency announces the predictions and cautions, however we might as well judge the situation in a heavy rain because it is sometimes too late to take action after the agency announces the evacuation order. When we take refuge due to a flood, we have to watch our step.

To take measures in a disaster, firstly, we refer back to the previous disaster in the community and call up the person who understands the weather information and can judge the dangers. The disaster prevention patrol, the confirmation of the evacuation route, the making-up of the hazard map in the community, and the information exchange using information technology are good examples of disaster prevention measures in the community.

-Student's impressions-

Although I thought I knew enough about disasters, I was able to realize I didn't. It might be difficult to protect myself in a disaster to say nothing of my family. Through this seminar, I was able to understand that I live close to danger. We first have to realize our potential dangers and then tell others about them.