Structural vulnerability and tsunami fragility curves from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake tsunami disaster

Abstract

This study aims to identify the structural vulnerability against tsunami with the form of tsunami fragility curves by integrating structural damage mapping with field survey data, such as flow depths. The tsunami fragility curves are preliminary obtained from the case studies in the affected areas of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake tsunami. Consequently, we found that structures in Miyagi Prefecture were especially vulnerable when the local flow depth exceeded 2 m, and 6 m flow depth would cause total devastation. Through the analysis, the tsunami fragility curves were obtained for each coastal community to determine the structural vulnerability against the local tsunami heights.