“Evacuate Immediately! Max height of 19m tsunami in 3 min!” A Small Coastal Town’s challenge.
The Nankai Megathrust Earthquake is expected to occur in Japan in the near future. In the worst-case scenario, an earthquake with a maximum magnitude of 9.1 could take 320,000 lives and destroy 2.39 million buildings in a matter of blink. The town of Susami in Wakayama Prefecture has been designated by the Japanese government as an earthquake disaster prevention promotion area. In the event of a Nankai Megathrust Earthquake, a tsunami with a wave height of 19 meters is expected to reach the town within 3 minutes of the occurrence of an earthquake. To minimize the extensive damage, Susami Town has conducted a disaster evacuation drill that keeps costs low while employing the latest technologies, including digital maps and virtual reality. This presentation will introduce an innovative initiative that involves a virtual evacuation experience and integrates its data with digital twin technology to assess the success or failure of evacuation strategies. This approach, which seamlessly blends cost-efficiency with cutting-edge technological applications, is being considered for broader application across various global disaster countermeasures, encompassing those for volcanic eruptions and flood events.
Organized by: Joint Project by Susami Town, Susami Town Consortium, Uhuru, and Mapbox