Investigation of people's behavior at heavy rainfall disaster in the highly flood disaster informationage - A case study on the typhoon No.0206 July, 2002 Motoyuki USHIYAMA Disaster Control Research Center, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Fumihiko IMAMURA

Disaster Control Research Center, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University

Toshitaka KATADA

Department of civil engineering,

Kenichi YOSHIDA

Iwate prefectural officeGunma University

This study aims to investigate efficiency of the disaster information at the time of real heavy rainfall on
the emergency management, mitigation, and human evacuation. Data of the information, damage andreaction of the people at Higashiyama town and Kawasaki village, Iwate prefecture are obtained throughinternet, field investigation, and questionnaire (the number of respondents: 700) in August 2002. The
damaged area has repeatedly suffered flood and the typhoon No.0206 in July 2002 caused the worst
damage over recent 30 years. During the heavy rain, the only 5 % respondents to get real time rainfall
and river water level through Internet, the 70% respondents did not know the system to obtain theinformation, suggesting the less known system among the residents even through real time data with thevarious information is available. However, the 74% of respondents at Kawasaki village answered that wereferred to rainfall and water level information for reaction against disaster. The village office ofKawasaki announced the rainfall and water level information through the disaster wireless service, whichwere obtained by the people, meaning that the wireless service is more efficient than the Internet. The
success or failure of carrying household goods from their homes is closely related with the use or non-useof the data of rainfall and water level information. This implies the importance of the disaster
information such as rainfall and water level in the river in real time and prediction. Internet is one of themost efficient ways to provide with the information, however the access and use of it are still problem forthe people.
Key Word: heavy rainfall disaster on July 2002, typhoon No.0206, real time rainfall and river water level information,
flood damage mitigation, Iwate prefecture1

Kawasaki
village(N=226)
Higashiyama
town(N=360)

74%

33%

10% 16%

38%

29%

0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
I referred.
I didn't know the method of access to the information.
I didn't referred.

Fig. 4 The reply to the question of "Did you referred
the rainfall or river water level information for
Fig. 1 Research area map.

judgment of evacuation behavior ?".

■ : Water level observatory.

● : Precipitation

observatory.

Useful9%

Family cars

77%

Tatami mats42%

Bedding and clothes

52%

Home electric appliances

43%

Important documents

40%

Success

Unuseful52%

N=326
Fig. 5 Evaluation to flood hazard map

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
FailureUnnecessarinessFig. 2 Success or failure of carrying out of household
goods (answer of victims of inundation damage)

Water level
data

24.4%

69.8%

Rainfall data

23.6%

70.5%

0%

20%

40%

Noopinion
39%

60%

80%

100%

I browsed by PC or cellular phone.
I didn't browsed.
I didn't know existence of the system.

Fig. 3 Actual condition of the browsing of the realtime rainfall and river water level display system onInternet.

2

Table 1 Cross tabulation of "carrying out of household goods" and "reference of rainfall orriver water level information" (answer of victims of inundation damage)
Reference of rainfall or river water level information
Carrying out of

I referredhousehold goods

I didn't know

I didn't referred

Chi-square test

access method

Important documents−−

Success

35(45%)

36(41%)

25(34%)

Failure17(22%)

28(32%)

15(21%)

Unnecessariness

25(32%)

24(27%)

33(45%)

Success

45(56%)

38(42%)

23(30%)

Failure18(22%)

33(36%)

29(38%)

Unnecessaricess

18(22%)

20(22%)

24(32%)

Success

50(63%)

46(49%)

34(45%)

Failure13(16%)

31(33%)

24(32%)

Unnecessariness

17(21%)

16(17%)

18(24%)

Success

35(44%)

40(43%)

31(42%)

Failure26(33%)

35(37%)

23(31%)

Unnecessariness18(23%)

19(20%)

20(27%)

Success

63(82%)

71(77%)

49(70%)

Failure9(12%)

16(17%)

15(21%)

Unnecessaricess5( 6%)

5( 5%)

6( 9%)

Home electric appliancesSignificant

Beddings and clothes

Significant

Tatami mats−−

Family cars−−

34