MDC Earthquake (Kobe, Japan) Flashcards
Where
Kobe, Japan
WHen
17th January 1995
What plates
The Philippines Plate shifted uneasily beneath the Eurasian Plate along the Nojima fault line that runs beneath Kobe
How large
7.2 on richter scale
Length of tremors
20 seconds
People killed
6434 people (4600 were Kobe residents)
People seriously injured
40,000
People made homeless
300,000
Damage to city
Major damage to infrastructure Gas mains ruptured Water pipes fractured Sections of elevated roads collapsed Railway lines buckled
Road statistic
Only 30% of the Osaka to Kobe tracks were usable
Homes
One million had to cope without water for 10 days
Two million had no electricity
Fire damage
Fire spread especially to the west of the port
Initial response by victims
People huddles in blankets on the streets and in tented shelters in parks in dear of returning to buildings damaged by the earthquake
Expense of damage
$220 million and economy suffered
Companies
Companies such as Panasonic had to close temporarily
Immediate response
Friends and neighbours searched through rubble for survivors
When access was possible, emergency services joined
Hospitals
Struggled to cope with the massive demand
Operations in corridors
Retailers aid
7-eleven helped to provide essentials
Motorola maintained telephone connections free of charge
Within a month
Railways were 80% operational
By July
Road network was operational
By September
Hanshin Expressway was fully open again
A year later
Port was 80% operational but much of the container shipping business had been lost
Why did some buildings survive
They were built to a 1981 code whereas those built to the 1960s practise collapsed
New buildings
Built further apart to prevent dominos effect
High rise have flexible steel frames
Some built with concrete and steel frames
Rubber blocks put under bridges to absorb shocks
