Kaito SHIMA

A Study on Tsunami Evacuation Actions in the Niigata City Area During the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake

Naoyuki INUKAI

On January 1, 2024, at 16:10, the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.6, occurred. The epicenter was located in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture (about 30 kilometers northeast of Wajima), with a depth of 16 kilometers. The maximum seismic intensity of 7 was observed in Shika Town and Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture, while Niigata City recorded a seismic intensity of 5-strong. As a result of this earthquake, at 16:22, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a large tsunami warning for the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture and tsunami warnings for Yamagata Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture (Upper and Middle Niigata), Sado, Toyama Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture (Kaga), Fukui Prefecture, and Northern Hyogo Prefecture. Given the ongoing risk of tsunami damage along the coastal areas of Niigata Prefecture, there is an increasing need to raise awareness of evacuation procedures.
This study investigates how residents of Niigata City considered whether to evacuate and what actions they took in response to the tsunami warning issued during the earthquake. The research uses a web-based questionnaire administered through schools. The responses obtained will help identify ways to improve disaster awareness and pinpoint existing challenges. The study also compares the results with surveys conducted during the Yamagata Offshore Earthquake and the Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake to examine whether there has been an improvement in evacuation awareness among Niigata residents and to analyze the causes behind this change. The survey provided insights into Niigata residents' evacuation rates, difficulties faced during evacuation, sources of earthquake and tsunami information, and their requests for evacuation drills. A comparison with the Yamagata Offshore Earthquake and Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake indicated that the evacuation rate was higher during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. These findings suggest that evacuation awareness among Niigata residents has improved compared to the time of the Yamagata Offshore Earthquake and Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake. Furthermore, many requests were made regarding the enhancement of disaster awareness among elementary and junior high school students, and achieving these goals is expected to lead to further improvements in evacuation awareness.