MEDC Case Study : Kobe Earthquake in Japan

Evidence that it is a MEDC…..~ Kobe is now the largest seaport in Japan~ It was a port for foreign ships when Japan was opened to the world after 1853~ To avoid congestion in the city, the top of Rokko Mountains were excavated and used to make two artificial islands for port terminals, residential areas and business. ~ Low infernal and maternal mortality rate~ Literacy is as close to 100%~ All citizens have in-house access to clean water, and almost 100 percent of households are covered by the city's unique three-stream sewage system.~ Housing has expanded rapidly, giving most people access to increasing space in pleasant suburbs.~ Almost 100 percent of households own a color television and more than two-thirds have air-conditioners, electric heaters and audio equipment.~ Excellent internal rail and subway systems move people efficiently and a well designed traffic system moves vehicles faster than in smaller and less congested cities

Where did it happen?Kobe is located 32 kilometers west of Osaka on the Japanese island of Honshu. The epicenter was on Awaji Island in Osaka Bay. The earthquake’s focus was very shallow, at a depth of 15-20 km. This results in extremely violent shaking of ground.

Primary effects Nearly 200, 000 buildings collapsed, and also 1km

stretch of the Hanshin Expressway and numerous bridges along a 130km section of the bullet train route. Several trains on minor lines were derailed.

120 of the 150 quays in the port of Kobe were destroyed.

Many of the highways were elevated The port was damaged due to liquefaction Modern buildings designed to be earthquake proof

suffered little damage although some were left standing at an angle when the ground beneath them liquefied.

Many of the older wooden houses collapsed Over 6, 430 people dead while 35, 000 were

injured. More than 300, 000 were left homeless. 104, 906 houses were destroyed and 460, 000 were left damaged. This was because of the high density layout of the city.

Why did it happen?Three crustal plates meet near to the coast of Japan. Close to Kobe, the denser oceanic Philippines Plate is being subducted beneath the lighter continental Eurasian Plate at a rate of about 10 centimeters per year. The Japanese island arc has been formed from the molten magma released by the melting Philippines Plate. Earthquakes are very common here and happen because of the friction resulting from the two plates colliding along this destructive margin. The great destruction which resulted from the 1995 Kobe Earthquake was due to the shallow depth of the focus which was only about 16 km below the surface and the fact that the epicenter occurred close to a very heavily populated area. Seismic shockwaves travelled from Awaji Island (the epicenter) along the Nojima Fault to the cities of Kobe and Osaka.

Why did it happen?Three crustal plates meet near to the coast of Japan. Close to Kobe, the denser oceanic Philippines Plate is being subducted beneath the lighter continental Eurasian Plate at a rate of about 10 centimeters per year. The Japanese island arc has been formed from the molten magma released by the melting Philippines Plate. Earthquakes are very common here and happen because of the friction resulting from the two plates colliding along this destructive margin. The great destruction which resulted from the 1995 Kobe Earthquake was due to the shallow depth of the focus which was only about 16 km below the surface and the fact that the epicenter occurred close to a very heavily populated area. Seismic shockwaves travelled from Awaji Island (the epicenter) along the Nojima Fault to the cities of Kobe and Osaka.

Short - term responses 1) The Japanese government evacuated people into temporary shelters because they were still at risk from many fires and unstable buildings.

2) Bulldozers were brought in to clear fallen buildings.

3) Emergencies rations and medication are provided for the survivors.

4) Roads were closed to speed up the recovery effort

5) Fires were put out by the fire department

6) Due to destroyed transport, the local Yakuza crime syndicate also distributed aid.

7) Rescue teams set out to find survivors

Long – term responses Kobe’s infrastructure, including water, electricity, gas and

telephone services, was fully operational by July.

The area worst affected by fire had been cleared of rubble but little rebuilding had taken place. Most commercial buildings in central areas had been repaired.

All rail services were back to normal by August.

One year later the port of Kobe was 80 percent functional but the Hanshin Expressway remained closed.

Replacement buildings had to meet stronger earthquake-resistance standards. High-rise buildings had to have flexible steel frames with reinforcing bars to absorb shockwaves, houses were not to be built from brick (which shakes loose) or wood (which burns too easily) but with fire-resistant materials. New buildings had to be built on solid rock, not clay, as water rises to ground level during an earthquake, causing clay to ‘liquefy’ into mud. This results in the collapse of buildings.

There was an increase in the number of seismic instruments to record earth movements in the region.

Rubber blocks were built below bridges to absorb the shock from earthquakes

Most major transport routes were reinforced in order to prevent disruption in the event of another earthquake.

Japan completely revamped its disaster prevention planning due to criticism of the former one.

Control over the fire response was handed over to a larger emergency response ‘command base’ in the region.