5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
[HDS10-P03] Mount Ontake Visitor Participation-Based Evacuation Drills in 2022 & 2023: Assessment of Climbers' Actions and Disaster Preparedness Based on Surveys and Video Footage
Keywords:Evacuation drill for climbers, Active Volcano, Evacuation actions, Mount Ontakesan
1. Introduction: Evacuation drills are recognized as effective means for evaluating and improving the performance of evacuees. On Mount Ontakesan, on September 27, 2014, at 11:52 AM, a volcanic eruption resulted in the victims of climbers who were on the summit at Kengamine (3,067 meters) and along the trails near the crater. Following the eruption, extensive hard measures were implemented over an 8-year period, including the establishment of evacuation shelters, disaster public address systems, and mobile phone base stations by local municipalities. Additionally, some destroyed mountain lodges and shrines were rebuilt, while others underwent reinforcement. These facilities are essential to function as evacuation and disaster prevention facilities during emergencies. The Kiso Town, the gateway for climbers through the Kurosawa trail, conducted evacuation drills on September 17, 2022, and August 26, 2023, respectively, assuming sudden volcanic eruptions. This study aims to elucidate hikers' evacuation behaviors, the effectiveness and challenges of disaster prevention measures, and the significance of evacuation drills based on surveys conducted among participating climbers and video footage captured during the drills.
2. Implementation of Evacuation Drills: The evacuation drills were conducted prioritizing safety at high altitudes near 3,000 meters. Following a manual, officials from the Kiso Town Office stationed at the Mitake Branch Office used disaster public address systems installed at three outdoor speakers in the Mount Ontake area to sound sirens, calling for evacuation in the event of a volcanic eruption. On the morning of the drill day, climbers were provided with instructions outlining five actions to take during the evacuation drill.
3. Results
3.1. Importance of the Drills: The survey response rates for 2022 and 2023 were 54.2% (347 out of approximately 640 individuals) and 49.5% (99 out of 198 individuals), respectively. This suggests that approximately half of the climbers participated in the drills on the respective days. However, there were incidents where some of the evacuation broadcasts did not transmit through the disaster public address systems. Kiso Town conducted an investigation into the cause of this issue post-drill and has already implemented measures to address human errors. Consequently, it became evident that evacuation drills are beneficial in validating the effectiveness of disaster preparedness measures. Moreover, the implementation of drills, training, and inspections is deemed crucial in reducing vulnerabilities in disaster preparedness. It's noteworthy that the audio issue did not significantly impact the progress of the drills.
3.2. Kengamine Area: Upon reviewing the evacuation actions through video footage, it was observed that many climbers sought refuge in the buildings of the inner sanctum of the shrine and in the evacuation shelters. However, the survey results from the 2022 drill revealed that 8 climbers (out of 56) sought refuge not within the designated evacuation facilities but rather in the shadows of buildings and rocks. In the 2023 drill, shrine priests guided climbers to evacuate.
3.3. Trail Area: The behaviors of climbers varied. In the surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023, respectively, 31.0% and 20.4% remained in place or did not evacuate, 32.9% and 26.5% sought refuge in the shadows of rocks or buildings, 15.8% and 22.4% took refuge in buildings or evacuation shelters, and 19.0% and 20.4% continued climbing or descending. In the 2022 survey, 20 respondents (19.9%) cited "not knowing what to do" as the reason for not evacuating. Those who sought refuge in evacuation shelters were within approximately a 5-minute distance, hence aiming for the summit. The video footage captured individuals walking, pausing, donning helmets, and surveying their surroundings.
3.4. Mountain Hut Area: According to the survey, there was a tendency for the siren sound to be difficult to hear.
2. Implementation of Evacuation Drills: The evacuation drills were conducted prioritizing safety at high altitudes near 3,000 meters. Following a manual, officials from the Kiso Town Office stationed at the Mitake Branch Office used disaster public address systems installed at three outdoor speakers in the Mount Ontake area to sound sirens, calling for evacuation in the event of a volcanic eruption. On the morning of the drill day, climbers were provided with instructions outlining five actions to take during the evacuation drill.
3. Results
3.1. Importance of the Drills: The survey response rates for 2022 and 2023 were 54.2% (347 out of approximately 640 individuals) and 49.5% (99 out of 198 individuals), respectively. This suggests that approximately half of the climbers participated in the drills on the respective days. However, there were incidents where some of the evacuation broadcasts did not transmit through the disaster public address systems. Kiso Town conducted an investigation into the cause of this issue post-drill and has already implemented measures to address human errors. Consequently, it became evident that evacuation drills are beneficial in validating the effectiveness of disaster preparedness measures. Moreover, the implementation of drills, training, and inspections is deemed crucial in reducing vulnerabilities in disaster preparedness. It's noteworthy that the audio issue did not significantly impact the progress of the drills.
3.2. Kengamine Area: Upon reviewing the evacuation actions through video footage, it was observed that many climbers sought refuge in the buildings of the inner sanctum of the shrine and in the evacuation shelters. However, the survey results from the 2022 drill revealed that 8 climbers (out of 56) sought refuge not within the designated evacuation facilities but rather in the shadows of buildings and rocks. In the 2023 drill, shrine priests guided climbers to evacuate.
3.3. Trail Area: The behaviors of climbers varied. In the surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023, respectively, 31.0% and 20.4% remained in place or did not evacuate, 32.9% and 26.5% sought refuge in the shadows of rocks or buildings, 15.8% and 22.4% took refuge in buildings or evacuation shelters, and 19.0% and 20.4% continued climbing or descending. In the 2022 survey, 20 respondents (19.9%) cited "not knowing what to do" as the reason for not evacuating. Those who sought refuge in evacuation shelters were within approximately a 5-minute distance, hence aiming for the summit. The video footage captured individuals walking, pausing, donning helmets, and surveying their surroundings.
3.4. Mountain Hut Area: According to the survey, there was a tendency for the siren sound to be difficult to hear.