Situation

On January 17 1995 at 0546, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale struck Japan around the port city of Kobe. The epicentre had been under the island of Awaji-shima not far from Kobe city.

One of the most devastating earthquakes to ever hit Japan left 6,433 people dead and over 26,000 injured. Over 50,000 buildings were damaged and much of the infrastructure was in tatters. Hundreds of older buildings in Kobe caught fire when gas lines were ruptured, and the disruption to the water supply hindered the fire fighting effort.

The economic loss of the event was later estimated at US $200M, but it was the psychological impact on the residents of Kobe that was most devastating. Over 290,000 people were made homeless, and there were reports of the elderly dying in the cold of the temporary shelters.

For a proud nation, it was difficult for the Japanese survivors to ask for shelter and food in such an advanced country. There were also many injured.

Response

HF were on hand with an outdoor soup kitchen to provide free food to people for the period that victims were forced to sleep in temporary shelters.

Outcome

Victims helped	> 1,000
Aid delivered	>3,000 hot meals
Mandays of effort	150 mandays
Project Duration	1 month

Back (Disaster Relief)