The July 28 Kumamoto Earthquake

[yamamo_cchi]

The other day, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture.
I happened to be working in Kumamoto City that day.

I was in the plaza at Hakenomiya Park when the earthquake struck, so I wasn’t injured.

Both the Shinkansen and express buses were suspended.

The City of Kumamoto opened Kumamoto Castle Hall as a temporary evacuation shelter.

There, we were provided with the following emergency supplies:

• Food
• Water
• Blankets
  
  
  
  Rice Flour Cookies are allergy-friendly and halal

Since these are meals intended for disaster preparedness, many have a long shelf life of five years.

Local residents who couldn’t return home due to work, people like me who had come from other areas,and foreign tourists were all taking shelter there.

Kumamoto, which suffered damage from a major earthquake 10 years ago, drew on that experience to provide assistance—I can’t express how grateful I am.

At the evacuation center,
I experienced firsthand how simply following basic rules—

• staying quiet,
• helping one another,
• and waiting your turn to receive supplies—

allowed many people to stay there comfortably.

Express bus service resumed on the afternoon of the 29th, so I was able to return home.

Express bus service to Fukuoka resumed at noon on the 29th.
Although more than 120 passengers had to wait for about two hours, everyone here waited quietly and calmly.

Since my smartphone battery wasn’t fully charged, I don’t have many photos, but I’ll post some images of the city’s current state here.

A hotel near Kumamoto Castle Hall suffered a collapse of its exterior wall

Some convenience stores are temporarily closed

Tsuruya Department Store is closed except for the first floor due to an emergency.
It has been temporarily opened as a place to escape the heat.

先日、熊本県でマグニチュード7.1の地震が発生しました。
当日は熊本市内で仕事がありました。

地震発生当時は八景水谷公園の広場で過ごしていたので怪我などはなかったです。

新幹線も高速バスも運休となりました。
熊本市が一時的な避難所として熊本城ホールを解放してくれました。
その際に、緊急物資として、
食料
水
毛布
を提供していただきました。

仕事で帰宅できなくなった地元の人、私のように他所の地域からやってきた人々、
外国人観光客も避難しておりました。

10年前も大きな地震の被害にあった熊本、その経験を活かして援助をしてもらえたことに本当に感謝しか言いようがありません。

避難所では
静かに過ごすこと
助け合うこと
順番に物を受け取ること
当たり前の行動を取ることで、多くの人が快適に過ごせることも身を持って感じました。

29日の午後に高速バスが運行開始となりましたので帰宅することが出来ました。

スマホのバッテリーも十分ではなかったので、写真は少ないですが街の様子などを掲載しておきます。

[Kakadadiep]

Natural disasters are unavoidable, but seeking a safe location is the main priority. May everyone stay safe.

[shaileno]

Yes, @yamamo_cchi I saw the TV news footage of this on CNN, and your post just now provided a lot of clarity—showing how the government’s swift action got everything back on track. That is a relief and a very good thing.

[yamamo_cchi]

@Kakadadiep
Thank you for your comment.

Disasters are truly unavoidable.

I think what matters most is how we cope with them afterward.
I hope things return to normal as soon as possible.

[yamamo_cchi]

@shaileno
Thank you for your comment.

Some areas are gradually returning to normal.

Unfortunately, I think it will take several years for things to fully return to the way they were.
The Shinkansen line remains severed south of Kumamoto.
Some sections of the expressway are also severed.
Rescue operations are still underway following the explosion at the shopping mall and the collapse of a factory chimney in Yatsushiro City.

It’s very hot, so there are concerns about heatstroke for both the victims and the rescue workers.

Amid all this, my gratitude to Kumamoto City—which provided us with a place to sleep and meals for the night—is so immense that words cannot express it.

[ALG87]

I’m so relieved you’re okay. It’s terrible to see something like that, especially the mall explosion. The Japanese disaster mitigation works really well, something my government should learn from. You know, both of our countries have major faults and volcanoes, making them prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

[yamamo_cchi]

@ALG87
Thanks for your comment.

Indonesia experiences a lot of earthquakes, too, doesn’t it?

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake,
the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake,
and the 2024 Noto Earthquake—

all of these occurred outside of summer.

This time, there are also risks specific to summer, such as heatstroke.

From that perspective, I think Japan has a lot to learn from Indonesia, which experiences a long, hot climate.

[HiroyukiTakisawa]

@yamamo_cchi さん
逐次お話は聞いてましたが、大変でしたね。無事帰宅できて何よりです。
日本ではこういった災害後の対応にも進歩を感じる点も多々ありましたね。起きてほしいものではありませんが、いつかどこかで役に立つ知識経験となってほしいものです。

[yamamo_cchi]

@HiroyukiTakisawa さん
コメントありがとうございます。

よく考えたら、特に何も苦労しなかったと思っております。
それは周囲の方のおかげなのですが。

阪神から始まり、新潟、東日本、2016年の熊本、能登
この間に他にもいろいろな災害で進歩、知識経験が増えていると思います。

あっという間に一時避難所が開設される
災害食が乾パンからレトルトパウチの炊き込みご飯とか米粉クッキーとかへ。
びっくりです。

米粉クッキーは結構美味しかったです

熊本城ホールは熊本の交通の要所である桜町バスターミナルに隣接していることも経験でしょうか。
2016年の熊本地震より後に出来たものです。
交通手段の情報もスタッフの皆さんがすぐわかるようにしてくれたのも大きいです。

[ALG87]

You’re right. We had the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which was one of the strongest earthquakes in history. I’ve experienced the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake even though the hypocenter was far away from my home. The magnitude was not huge, but the soil amplification made the impact worse. Mitigation efforts may have been improved since both earthquakes, but we still need to learn from Japan, especially regarding the government preparedness and improving building quality.

Actually, we never experience heatwaves here, and the temperature is relatively stable every month. Although the heatstroke can be happened, as far as I know, the main problems when the disaster strikes are acute respiratory infections, skin diseases, and other illnesses due to poor sanitation in refugee camps.

[yamamo_cchi]

@ALG87

Thank you for your comment.

Kumamoto Castle Hall, where I was able to take temporary shelter this time, is a facility equipped with stockpiles of blankets, food, and basic medical supplies for use as an emergency shelter.

There are also facilities such as a national hospital nearby.

Kumamoto Castle Hall is located in a bustling area and is directly connected to the bus terminal.

It’s a gathering place for people returning home from work or school.
Express buses to other prefectures also depart from here.

Another advantage is that if people are unable to return home, they can be smoothly directed to Kumamoto Castle Hall.

By writing a positive review of my experience at Kumamoto Castle Hall on Google Maps, I hope to show that this design is effective and that it might become a global standard.

[ALG87]

Wow!
I just realized that Kumamoto Castle Hall is an event hall that even stores disaster relief logistics.

This is remarkable compared to my country. Typically, earthquake evacuation sites in Indonesia prioritize open spaces, as many people fear aftershocks causing buildings to collapse. Earthquake-resistant building standards in Indonesia have not yet been implemented comprehensively. To shelter from the sun, temporary tents are usually set up. On the other hand, as far as I know, disaster logistics warehouses are kept at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) offices, which are sometimes located far from city centers. I don’t even know if there is a shelter similar to Kumamoto Castle Hall in my city. Usually, many people get confused and do not know where to go during the initial hours of a disaster. Disaster education still needs to be improved here, and unfortunately, the NDMA budget was reduced by government policy.

I hope Kumamoto Castle Hall becomes more widely recognized as a great example of an urban disaster management system. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. Stay safe there!

[yamamo_cchi]

@ALG87
Sorry for the late reply.

I was visiting Kumamoto City on business.

I didn’t realize until later that the event hall was also being used as a storage facility for disaster relief supplies.
If the staff at Kumamoto City Hall hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known what to do either.

I think this is a lesson they learned from the earthquake that occurred 10 years ago.

Fortunately, I was able to return to Fukuoka City the very next day.

There are still people in Kumamoto Prefecture who need assistance.
Earthquakes are still occurring.
I hope that peaceful days will return soon.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)