Feedback Process of Evacuation Plan Using Quantitative Data of Drills: A Tsunami Evacuation Support System for Vulnerable People in a Community

To prepare evacuation plans including an evacuation support system for vulnerable people, it is important to verify drills in accordance with the actual circumstances of the area using quantitative data and feedback the results to the plans. The purpose of this study is clarifying the importance of using drill data in the process of evacuation planning. We measured the movements of residents during a drill conducted by a plan in a community and verified quantitative data. Authors have been supporting the drills and community disaster management plan in the Shinyo community of Kobe City since 2008. We measured evacuation time and speed from tsunami using various transportation equipment for vulnerable people in the drill and verified effectiveness of the plan. In the Shinyo community, quantitative data was verified in drills and vulnerable people and their supporters, who were measured on this occasion, evacuated from the tsunami warning area within the estimated tsunami hitting time of 90 minutes after the earthquake. Further, it was found that the use of four types of transportation equipment, namely rollator (wheeled walking aid), transport chair, wheelchair, and cart yielded speeds on conveyance of vulnerable people of 1.03 m/s, 1.42 m/s, 1.50 m/s, and 1.27 m/s, respectively (average of the entire evacuation routes actual vehicle time, excluding wait times at traffic signals). A few days after, the participants feedbacked the drills in the evaluation meeting. According to the result of the verification, we found no necessity of drastic revise to the plan.