The Asahi Shimbun's front page reported that according to the first survey by the Japanese government, when the most urgent "Great Earthquake Alert" was issued in the temporary information on the Nankai Trough earthquake, local governments requested a one-week evacuation in advance for tsunamis, and a total of more than 520,000 residents nationwide were found. More than half of them are elderly and disabled people who need to be considered. According to the survey results, the government will provide recommendations and support to local governments to ensure smooth early evacuations.

In the Nankai Trough earthquake, tsunamis can arrive within minutes after the earthquake. For this reason, the government has asked each city to designate areas where evacuation may be delayed as "pre-evacuation target areas." These areas are divided into two types: general population and elderly (people who need special care). When a major earthquake alert is issued, the target residents need to evacuate one week in advance.

Regarding the first "alert" issued on August 8 last year due to an earthquake near Miyazaki Prefecture's Higashi-Shimizu area, the government investigated the pre-evacuation designation status of 707 cities, towns, and villages in 29 prefectures designated by the government as "disaster prevention measure promotion areas" from June to August this year (as of May).

The results showed that 130 cities, towns, and villages in 16 prefectures from Chiba to Kagoshima were designated. The total number of eligible residents has reached over 520,000, with approximately 245,600 general residents and about 274,800 elderly people. By prefecture, the highest number was in Kōchi Prefecture, with 92,100 people, followed by Miyazaki Prefecture with 79,900 people, and Shizuoka Prefecture with 70,200 people.

In interviews with local governments by the Asahi Shimbun, some cities and towns also targeted areas prone to landslides with insufficient seismic resistance and houses, while others designated "zero-meter altitude" areas below sea level. Issues such as "lack of shelters" and "evacuation of the elderly" were listed.

In the revised basic plan for earthquake disaster prevention measures in July, the government required that the policies and methods for pre-evacuation be clearly defined in the local governments' promotion plans. In August, the temporary information guidelines were revised, adding zero-meter altitude areas as consideration for pre-evacuation. Future target areas and residents may increase.

Professor Katsuharu Yamasaki of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University (Disaster Psychology) pointed out, "The government needs to strengthen the support system for local governments, such as providing advance subsidies for evacuation costs, rather than just counting the number of people."

◆Nankai Trough Earthquake Temporary Information = It is announced when the possibility of a large-scale earthquake increases in the hypothetical epicenter area along the Nankai Trough. There are "Great Earthquake Alerts" several times higher than usual, and "Very Great Earthquake Alerts" about 100 times higher.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840926614219776/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.