Kurumi ISHIZUKA

A Study on Improving the Effectiveness of Evacuation Planning Based on experience of floods in Elderly Facilities

Yoko MATSUDA

The purpose of this study was to clarify how experience of floods are applied to disaster prevention measures through questionnaire surveys and interviews, and to highly effective evacuation plan and evacuation drills.
First, as a basic analysis to understand the risk of flooding in elderly facilities, we compared the number of floors of buildings and the depth of flooding in elderly facilities located in Nagaoka City. As a result, it became apparent that many elderly care facilities are low-rise structures designed to accommodate the physical needs of residents and are at risk of flooding. In such facilities, it is necessary to understand the issues to be addressed during flooding.
Next, we conducted a questionnaire survey to identify the status and issues of evacuation during the July 2020 torrential rains. The results revealed that 40% of the facilities could not evacuate according to the evacuation plan, and that differences from the evacuation  plan included congestion of vehicles, changes in evacuation destinations, and other issues that had not been anticipated in the evacuation drills.
Next, to clarify how the experience of the July torrential rains was applied to disaster prevention measures, we conducted an interview survey. As a result, it became clear that there were differences in disaster prevention measures before and after the torrential rains, and that the main countermeasure for evacuation behavior that did not go as planned was to change evacuation sites. The results of the survey were compared with the existing evacuation plan, and supplementary items to the evacuation plan were discussed. A flowchart was created based on the supplementary items.
From the above, it can be said that by considering the evacuation behavior and issues of facilities that have experienced flood damage, it is possible to clarify and reflect issues in existing evacuation plans and evacuation drills. It can also be said that it is necessary to develop a specific plan tailored to the evacuation behavior of the facility.