Studying Problems of Kitakukonnansha (People Who Had Difficulty Returning Home at the Time of Disaster) in Provincial Cities

2018.9.7

Human and Social Response Research Division (left) Assistant Professor Tetsuya Torayashiki and (right) Professor Hiroaki Maruya

At the time of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the kitakukonnansha (commuters stranded because of a disaster) in the Tokyo metropolitan area garnered attention. In metropolitan areas, paralysis of the transportation network had created several issues, as many people had to give up on returning home and stayed in temporary accommodations, or even had a great struggle to walk home for a long distance.

At that time, the issue of kitakukonnansha arose not only in metropolitan cities but also in provincial cities, including Sendai. In Sendai City, it is estimated that approximately 11,000 people were stranded around the Sendai station area.* Furthermore, the influx of these people into designated evacuation centers, such as nearby gymnasiums of schools, caused those shelters to become overcrowded, and confusion arose about the evacuation center’s administration. Yet, not all the relevant details of kitakukonnansha in provincial cities have been fully clarified. Even in provincial areas, it is important to set up appropriate measures that are suitable for the region, considering the fact that the number of people, flow of persons, and regional characteristics differ from those of the Tokyo metropolitan area.

With this in mind, Assist. Prof. Tetsuya Torayashiki and Prof. Hiroaki Maruya conducted an interview survey targeting municipal officials from 12 cities of South Tohoku (including Sendai), Kanto, Chubu, and Kansai regions to identify effective measures to address the issue of kitakukonnansha in provincial cities. Officials in municipalities where the Great East Japan Earthquake hit were asked questions about the specific situation at the time and measures adopted for improvement thereafter, and officials of other municipalities were asked about the measures that are currently in progress based on the characteristics of the region.

Survey results showed that most of the local cities that had experienced the earthquake did not have preventive measures set up to address the issue of kitakukonnansha at the time. However, the results also show that later, many of them established measures to reduce the concentration of kitakukonnansha at train stations when trains stop running because of the disaster and made arrangements to direct kitakukonnansha to places other than the designated evacuation centers for local inhabitants.

Additionally, it was observed that some municipalities which learned from the lessons from the disaster have developed effective solutions. For instance, the City of Sendai signed a “Temporary Accommodation Agreement” with companies such as commercial facilities and hotels around the station as well as agreements with organizations related to building technology to dispatch technicians to check the safety of the temporary accommodations. Based on these agreements, in case an earthquake strikes, the city can request the companies under the agreements to open up the temporary accommodations and on the other hand ask the organization to dispatch technicians who can judge the safety of the buildings of the accommodations. These arrangements can enable the accommodation of kitakukonnansha at an early stage after a disaster and can prevent excess influx into the designated shelters for local residents. These arrangements also reduce workload and the risk of safety verification work of the companies. Additionally, the City of Sendai has conducted the training for people working around the station to evacuate kitakukonnansha every year since 2014.

Prof. Maruya and Assist. Prof. Torayashiki published “A Guide to Address the Issues of Kitakukonnansha in Provincial Cities,” which presents an outline of the problem and a summary of the advanced measures, including those of Sendai.** Assist. Prof. Torayashiki notes, “Through the survey, we found that there are differences in the approach to the kitakukonnansha issue depending on the region. We also found that some municipalities do not have specific know-how yet, despite an awareness of the need for measures to address the issue. It is our earnest desire that they refer to our report and guide.”

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Studying Problems of Kitakukonnansha (People Who Had Difficulty Returning Home at the Time of Disaster) in Provincial Cities

2017 Training for evacuating Kitakukonnansha around Sendai Station (Photo courtesy: Assist. Prof. Torayashiki)