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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Cary Sauter, MPH, Center for Public Health and Disaster Relief, University of California Los Angeles, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 310-794-0864, carysauter@hotmail.com, Kimberley Shoaf, DrPH, Center for Public Health & Disasters, University of California, Los Angeles, 10911 Weyburn Avenue #209, Los Angeles, CA 90024, Haruo Hayashi, PhD, Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems, DPRI, Kyoto University, Uji Campus, Kyoto, 611-011, Japan, Shigeo Tatsuki, PhD, Department of Sociology, Doshisha University, Imadegawa-dori Karasuma Higashi-iru Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan, and Marizen Ramirez, PhD, Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center, 10911 Weyburn Ave., Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90024.
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck south-central Japan on January 17, 1995, in and around the city of Kobe. The results were catastrophic. Approximately 6,000 people died and another 2,700 people were admitted to the hospital due to physical trauma. An estimated 100,000 buildings were totally destroyed. Nishinomiya City was hit particularly hard. Prior to the earthquake, Nishinomiya had 411,882 people and a building stock of 96,000. The earthquake claimed the lives of 1,108 of its inhabitants, and damaged about one-third of its building stock, completely collapsing 19,500 buildings and partially collapsing another 16,300 buildings. It is well known that the main cause of death from earthquakes is due to building damage. What is not well known is how damage patterns affect mortality and morbidity. There are two datasets being studied pertaining to this earthquake. One dataset consists of coroner’s data matched with building damage data from Nishinomiya City. The other dataset is from a survey administered in 1999 and again in 2001, as part of a longitudinal study started six months after the earthquake. The survey asks respondents about injuries, damage to their homes, activities and evacuation procedures as a result of the earthquake. This paper will first describe the relationship between injuries and death and building damage and will then explain the differences between those who died and those who were injured in terms of demographics, building type and structure, and building damage.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.