The Kobe Earthquake

LO To investigate why Mrs Endo

died after the Kobe Earthquake.
http://www.gatm.org.uk/geograph
yatthemovies/tectonics.html
 Japan
• Japan is on the boundary of three plates and is prone to
Earthquakes and volcanos.
• Japan has a lot of people in a small area. (high
population density) lots of people are in or are near a
building at any time.
• Buildings were built to be earthquake proof since 1981,
older buildings were mainly wooden with heavy concrete
roofs..
• Other structures like pipe work were probably older than
14 years and not properly designed.
• Japan has spent a lot of money preparing for
earthquakes. In spite of it all there was death, damage,
chaos and panic everywhere when the Kobe Earthquake
struck in 1995.
 The earthquake
• On 17 January 1995, very early in the morning, an
earthquake struck the city of Kobe in Japan.
• For 20 seconds the ground shook violently.
• The Focus of the earthquake was very close to the
earths syrface and Kobe city was 20 miles away from the
epicentre.
• It measured 7.2 on the Richter Scale which is very big
and will cause weak buildings to collapse.
• It was caused by the Pacific and the Philippine tectonic
plates building up sufficient energy and stresses to move
suddenly and violently.
• There were about 600 aftershocks, many buildings and
roads collapsed because of the shocks and gas pipes
and water pipes broke resulting in power cuts, fires and
gas explosions and a lot of smoke.
 The city and the buildings
• At 5.46 am, when the earthquake struck Kobe, many people
were still asleep. Many older houses simply collapsed, killing all
inside.
• Over 150 fires broke out around the city.
• Most were caused by gas leaks. Often firemen could not reach
them because roads were blocked. And often they ran out of
water because water mains had burst.
• The blocked streets made rescue difficult too. Thousands of
victims were left in the cold without food, water or shelter,
waiting for help.
• In the centre of the city, there were facilities for survivors with
food and water and people could walk to a hospital more easily.
• Due to rubble on the roads and no water for fire engines, the
emergency services struggled to get help to the old area of the
city.
 The people
• Around 5,000 people died and 250,000 more
were left homeless.
• Crushing, fires, smoke inhalation killed most.
• People who were injured couldn’t get water to
drink and had to breathe smoke filled air.
• Many people who couldn’t get help, died in the
days after the collapse of the city.
• Most who died were over 60 years old.
 Quake fact file
• Date: Tuesday 17 January 1995

• Time: 5.46 am

• Magnitude: 7.2 on the Richter scale

• Epicentre: On Awaji island, south of Kobe

• Damage: 4600 dead

15 000 injured
75 000 buildings in ruins
55 000 buildings badly damaged (including many
schools)
Roads and railways torn apart

• Cost: Around £200 billion

This bridge was shaken so hard it collapsed.
A phone kiosk left standing
Fires still burning, eleven hours after the quake.
Narrow streets made
rescue difficult.
What people said
 Kobe policeman

I saw rows of wooden houses burned to the

ground - probably with people still inside. And
all morning I've been helping to pull dead
bodies from the rubble on this street.
 Kobe schoolgirl, 12

The shaking woke me up. I knew what it was.

I saw the kitchen on fire. I helped dad pull my
little brothers out and then we ran. Now we
are sitting in the cold in our coats and
pyjamas, waiting for help.
Driver from a rescue team

My truck is full of medical supplies. People

out there are dying - and I'm stuck here in a
traffic jam. Big cracks in the road, and cars
everywhere. You can imagine how I feel.
Investigation into the death of
Mrs Endo
 Using the evidence sheet
provided briefly explain the
cause of Mrs Endo’s death?
Mrs Endo was trapped under the
rubble of her home and died of
suffocation after 36 hours.
Now use the evidence to suggest other factors
which were relevant to Mrs Endo’s death
Relevant to Mrs Endo’s death Reason
1

5
 Homework
• Create a report outlining why Mrs Endo died.
• You should include:
– Japan: Was Japan prepared? Why?
– The Earthquake: Details of where, why and when the
earthquake occurred.
– Kobe City and Buildings: Why was Kobe badly affected?
– Mrs. Endo’s Death: Use your chart to explain reasons for Mrs.
Endo’s death.
– Effects: The overall effect the earthquake had.
• It should be 2 A4 pages long including maps and
pictures.
• Extension: why did Mr. Endo survive?
http://www.gatm.org.uk/geographyatthemovies/tectonics.html