Abstract
The pressing disaster means in this paper various forms of accidents which are typified with the strong earthquake in city. Pressing disaster consists of physical destruction, economic damage, and danger to life in wide range of crowding population. This disaster is conditioned by multiple and heterogeneous factors. The human behavior in the disaster is the response to the complex of such multiple factors, and is not analyzed as simple functional relation. We can only describe the human behavior as a gross tendency. 22 topics are presented hypothetically, based on the results of research into Niigata Earthquake: feeling of danger, modes of refuge, attitude against fire disposition, sex difference of response, information sources, superior role of transistor radio, contents and conditions of rumor, etc. The feeling of danger is stronger in motor car than in other out-door state. Only a few persons rush out of house after disposing fire. The oral information is not evaluated as full of information. But it has strong power on the decision of behavior. 2/3 of population decide the refuge within 2 hours. The traffic time in Niigata Earthquake became from three to five times of usual traffic time.
