Survey of Refugees from Niigataken Chuetsu-oki Earthquake with Goal of Improving Post-earthquake Quick Inspections of Damaged Buildings

摘要

Refugees in Kashiwazaki were surveyed immediately after the Niigataken Chuetsu-oki Earthquake to gather data on their knowledge about the system for quick assessments of damaged buildings and its effectiveness. Quick assessments of damaged buildings are a system for evaluating the safety of such buildings with the assigned purpose of preventing secondary injuries due to aftershocks or other events. It has been considered an effective program for protecting public safety. Survey results indicated low public recognition of the program despite the fact that this population had experienced the Niigataken Chuetsu Earthquake three years previously. It also showed that most of the population had access to buildings that had been determined to be dangerous. Another key issue for this system revealed in the survey was that the authorities did not sufficiently address the public's concerns about the safety of buildings by failing to publicize how buildings were to be repaired and made suitable for occupancy after emergencies. It is desirable to establish a system to provide an emergency repair method in combination with this inspection system.