[S-VC31] Mitigation of volcanic disasters - basic and applied researches

[SVC31-06] Drills on the assumption of an eruption by local governments and related organizations around Nasudake

*Yousuke Miyagi¹ (1.National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience)

Keywords:volcano, drill, Nasudake, disaster prevention

There are 111 active volcanoes in Japan, and once an eruption occurs, it can cause great damage to climbers, tourists, and, depending on the scale of the eruption, local residents. When an eruption disaster occurs, it is mainly local governments and related organizations in the vicinity of the volcano that are responsible for disaster response on site. However, compared to windstorms, floods, and earthquakes that occur almost every year, eruption disasters in Japan occur less frequently, and many local governments and related organizations in Japan lack experience in dealing with actual eruption disasters. In addition, compared to other disasters, disaster prevention measures are given a lower priority during normal times. The results of the interview survey conducted to date with 10 local governments across Japan have highlighted issues such as the need for drill and training related to volcanic disaster prevention, lack of experience with eruptions and lack of an image of what to do in the event of an eruption, and unclear coordination with other organizations in the event of an eruption.
To solve these issues, conducting multi-agency drill that simulates an eruption is both inexpensive and effective. The NIED, in collaboration with the Nasudake Volcano Disaster Management Council from 2019 to 2025, has been conducting disaster drills mainly on the assumption of an eruption. These drills were conducted under various scenarios to verify the effectiveness of evacuation plans, confirm pre- and post-disaster response procedures, and facilitate coordination among related agencies. In the drills, the results of an climber dynamics data acquisition experiment conducted on Nasudake in 2020 were incorporated into the scenarios and situation assignments, and achievement levels were investigated using post-drill reviews and questionnaires. By repeating these once-a-year drills every year, we have seen results such as higher achievement levels, increased voluntary action for the drills, and increased awareness of disaster prevention. On the other hand, many issues remain in drills involving multiple organizations, such as the difficulty of scenario setting and advance coordination. In this presentation, we will summarize the ideal form and issues of drill assuming an eruption, and provide suggestions for updating drill.