A study of evacuation behavior during earthquakes

Abstract

Earthquakes are a hazard in Taiwan and elsewhere. In 1946, for example, a Richter scale 6.1 earthquake caused 556 causalities and damaged more than 4,000 buildings in Sin-hua, Tainan City, Taiwan. This study investigates the aspects of resident preferences with respect to earthquake shelters. A questionnaire survey was designed to refl ect the viewpoints of respondents in the context of earthquakes, including: (1) factors affecting evacuation behavior, (2) historical street district damage prevention and (3) analysis of evacuation choices. A logistic model for evacuation behavior in major earthquakes is presented, and its signifi cant variables discussed in the context of future urban disaster planning.