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Hospital Evacuation Implications After the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 April 2022

Manabu Shimoto Open the ORCID record for Manabu Shimoto [Opens in a new window] ,
Kosai Cho ,
Masahiro Kurata ,
Mayu Hitomi ,
Yoichi Kato ,
Shinji Aida ,
Osamu Sugiyama ,
Norio Maki  and
Shigeru Ohtsuru Open the ORCID record for Shigeru Ohtsuru [Opens in a new window]
Manabu Shimoto*
Affiliation:
Department of Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Kosai Cho
Affiliation:
Department of Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Masahiro Kurata
Affiliation:
Section of Health Emergency and Regional Disaster Risk Management, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan Research Division of Earthquake Hazards, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Mayu Hitomi
Affiliation:
Engineering Department, Takenaka Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
Yoichi Kato
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan
Shinji Aida
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Equipment, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, Japan
Osamu Sugiyama
Affiliation:
Department of Real World Data Research and Development, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Norio Maki
Affiliation:
Section of Health Emergency and Regional Disaster Risk Management, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan Research Division of Disaster Management for Safe and Secure Society, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Shigeru Ohtsuru
Affiliation:
Department of Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan Section of Health Emergency and Regional Disaster Risk Management, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Manabu Shimoto, Email: mshimoto@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp.
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Abstract

During the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, 10 hospitals took responsibility for complete evacuation, in what has become regarded as one of the largest evacuations of patients in 1 seismic disaster. We aimed to examine the reasons for evacuation and to assess hospital vulnerability as well as preparedness for the earthquake. A multidisciplinary team conducted semi-structured interviews with the hospitals 6 months after the earthquake. The primary reasons for the decision to evacuate hospitals were categorized into 3: 1) Concern for structural safety (4 facilities), 2) Damage to the facility water system (7 facilities), and 3) Cessation of regional water supply (5 facilities).

All hospitals decided on immediate evacuation within 30 hours and could not wait for structural engineers to inspect the affected buildings. Damage to sprinklers or water facilities caused severe water shortages and flood, thus requiring weeks to resume inpatient care. The earthquake revealed the vulnerability of rapid building-inspection systems, aging buildings, and water infrastructure.

Keywords

hospital evacuationearthquakesvulnerability analysisemergency preparednessdisaster medicine
Type
Report from the Field
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 6 , December 2022 , pp. 2680 - 2682
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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