2011 Nagoya University Earthquake Drills

October 20th, 2011
From 11:30AMCampus-wide Simultaneous Evacuation Drill
Drill Objectives& Requests

Top floor of 4-story building
sustained damage

Nagoya University buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes of a certain seismic
intensity and are thus unlikely to collapse in any single earthquake. However, certain
disaster scenarios (e.g. damage to building pillars or other key structural elements) may
still require an immediate evacuation.
To prepare for these types of situations, the university will conduct the simultaneous
evacuation drill as the first trial in this year.
The drill will kick off with the issuance of an emergency earthquake warning, followedby the issuance of an earthquake alert, after which students will start evacuating.
The drill is meant to provide an opportunity for students to learn how to respond
appropriately during an earthquake situation. Students should follow the instructions of
their lecturers in response to the warning/alert, and evacuate to safety.
An additional important goal of the drill is to supply students with building-specificinformation regarding earthquake evacuation.
The key objective, however, is to keep everyone secure so please evacuate in a
prudent manner without resorting to potentially dangerous actions.

Fire outbreak in laboratory

3rd-floor pillar in multi-story
building demolished

Damage Inflicted by Great
East Japan Earthquake on
Tohoku University

1st-floor support column
in 2-story building
fractured

Hole pierced through a wall by rescue
team as inward-opening door got stuck

Conditions inside a laboratory: a draft
chamber was moved by theearthquake and lab instruments werescattered across the floor.

The quake also moved heavy lab equipment.
Anyone staying behind would have beencrushed between moving equipment and walls.

Tables crushed under the weight ofcollapsed book shelves

When anemergency
earthquake
warning is issued

What would you do if an emergency earthquake warning was issued at this very moment? Youshould consider this question carefully and prepare yourself mentally so you can evacuate tosafety without wasting even as much as 10 seconds in the event of a real earthquake. Make sure
you formulate an appropriate response for different scenarios. For example, what would you do(1) if in the middle of an experiment, (2) if in a research room surrounded by book shelves, (3) if
halfway up a flight of stairs, (4) if in an elevator, or (5) if in other locations.
Following the March 11 earthquake, many students at Tohoku University commented theyescaped from harm by simply evacuating to nearby hallways or acting in accordance with priorevacuation drills at the time the emergency earthquake warning was issued.

When theshaking starts

Once the shaking starts, protect yourself while guarding against potential falling objects.
Earthquakes in the Tokai and Tonankai regions typically start off with mild shaking, which
subsequently intensifies. The shaking generally last between one and three minutes. Shaking isfelt more strongly when inside a building, and increases in intensity on upper floors (i.e. thehigher the floor, the stronger the shaking). In fact, during the March 11 earthquake, Tohoku
University sustained the worst damage on the upper floors of its buildings.

When in open spaces, alwaysanticipate the possibility that theceiling may collapse !
At the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake, evenareas that registered shaking with intensity levels 5–6
reported numerous cases of damage originating fromcollapsed ceilings. To give just one specific example, acollapsed ceiling at Tokyo’s Kudan Kaikan resulted inseveral fatalities. Note that comparatively newbuildings are also prone to ceiling collapses during anearthquake.

Collapsed ceilings at an indoor swimming pool(After theearthquake damage report of Ministry of Land,Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)

If experiencing anearthquake while in an
open space such as agymnasium, stay close to
the walls, leave thebuilding, or take otherappropriate measures.

Evacuate toSafety

Once the shaking subsides, follow the instructions of your lecturer
and evacuate from the building. There is no need to hurry. Keep inmind the “four don’ts” and evacuate in an orderly manner.
If available, follow the designated evacuation route for thedepartment or building you are in.
If you encounter a fire brigade or self defense forces unit on theevacuation route, follow their instructions.

SafetyConfirmation
DrillsNagoya University has developed a Safety Confirmation System in preparation of natural disasters.
When a disaster strikes, the university’s top priority is to confirm the safety of all its members.
Each member is responsible to notify their safety via the Safety Confirmation System.
To ensure familiarity with the system under disaster situations, everyone should participate in theSafety Confirmation Drills.

Don’t push
Don’t runDon’t talkDon’t go backNotify your personal safety via the Safety Confirmation Systemstarting at 12:00, Oct. 20, 2011!
Access the Safety Confirmation System here:
http://mynu.jp/k/