Abstract
A downpour disaster that occurred on the evening of September 11, 2000 seriously damaged the traffic network in Nagoya city. It also created many problems in traffic management and information services. In this study, we explored the return-home behavior of people during disasters; in particular, we analyzed individual behavior and awareness of disaster prevention in a future downpour among public transportation users through a questionnaire survey. The subjects of the survey were mainly people who travel on foot and/or public transportation users. The results showed that many people were obliged to change their destination due to the suspension of railroad services or to return home on foot. We show that we can control reckless journeys of homebound citizens during disasters, and thus, ensure their safety.
