2024 Volume 80 Issue 24 Article ID: 24-24006
During the "Heavy Rain in July 2020," large-scale flooding struck Hitoyoshi City in Kumamoto Prefecture, causing damage to approximately 19.2% of all households. Due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19 in evacuation shelters, it was decided to use accommodation facilities as alternative evacuation sites. However, many accommodation facilities in Hitoyoshi City were also damaged, leaving only two facilities capable of accepting evacuees. In response, Kumamoto Prefecture and Hitoyoshi City funded emergency repairs for several damaged accommodation facilities, allowing them to be used as evacuation shelters. This study aims to provide an overview of these emergency repair efforts, focusing on the perspectives of government agencies, accommodation facility operators, and evacuees. The findings reveal that while the actual number of evacuees using the accommodation facilities was lower than expected, these facilities nonetheless provided a favorable evacuation environment. Moreover, accommodation facilities that underwent emergency repairs and accepted evacuees benefited from secondary effects such as early business recovery and operational continuity. The prompt recovery and continued operation of these facilities contribute to the long-term revitalization of the region. Therefore, raising awareness and promoting the use of accommodation facilities as evacuation shelters in disaster scenarios is recommended.
