Lessons of Kumamoto Earthquake

Ten years have passed, since the first major earthquake hit Kumamoto area on April 12th, 2016. The consecutive earthquakes afterward harmed health of evacuees, who managed to survive the quakes, and caused large number of deaths. It is a lesson of Kumamoto Earthquake for the government of Japan to improve the readiness of disaster and prevent unnecessary deaths of the people. 

A strong earthquake with magnitude 6.5 hit Kumamoto city and surrounding area ten years ago. It was followed by another bigger earthquake with magnitude 7.3 two days later, which was recognized as the main quake. The series of Kumamoto Earthquake counted over 4,000 quakes for three years from the first quake, causing great anxiety for the people living in the middle of Kyushu Island.

 

According to a meteorological report, 275 people were dead with Kumamoto Earthquake and 2,739 were injured. Over 200 thousand houses were damaged. 477 thousand houses lost their electricity two days after the first earthquake. Gas supply stopped in 105 thousand houses and 445 thousand houses lost water supply. 183,882 people in Kumamoto prefecture and 12,443 in Oita evacuated, leaving their houses.

 

Kumamoto prefectural government set up shelters in 855 places for the evacuees and Oita prefectural government did in 311 places. It took seven months for Kumamoto government to close all the shelters as the evacuee returned to their home or found the place to live. Oita government closed them two months after the first quake. It is estimated that a major active fault is running underground of Kumamoto and Oita, and the earthquake was caused by the collapse in the fault.

 

Repetitive earthquakes amplified psychological uneasiness of the evacuees. Negative impact on their mental health caused large number of deaths among them. 228 people out of 275 (83 percent, indeed) were recognized as dead not directly in the earthquake, but with negative effects in the aftermath. Those who died after the earthquake are categorized as “earthquake-related deaths.”

 

Earthquake-related deaths were broadly recognized in East Japan Great Earthquake in 2011, which caused 3.810 deaths of evacuees. As total deaths with the great quake and tsunami rose up to 19,782, the ratio of earthquake-related deaths was less than 20 percent. However, that kind of deaths counted 499 out of all 727 (68 percent) in Noto Peninsula Earthquake in 2024.

 

In the cases of Kumamoto Earthquake, 33 percent of earthquake-related deaths were caused by disease in respiratory system and 29 percent were by disease in circulatory system. Most of them were aged people who were vulnerable to the life in evacuation with serious concern from consecutive earthquake.

 

Government of Japan and every local government is required to prepare for future natural disasters. Toilet, kitchen and bed is said to be the three important elements for shelters. Sectors for public services are expected to reserve enough equipment and be ready to set up the shelters as fast as possible.

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