Simulation Model of Evacuation Behavior Following a Large-Scale Earthquake that Takes into Account Various Attributes of Residents and Transient Occupants

Abstract

Understanding human behavior, such as waiting, returning home, and evacuation, after a great earthquake is very critical in establishing detailed disaster prevention planning. In the present paper, we construct a simulation model to describe how human behavior varies as a function of physical damage, such as the spread of urban fires and street blockage due to collapsed buildings. The proposed model is applied to a densely built-up area of Tokyo using a database of the spatiotemporal distribution of railroad passengers, automobile users, and pedestrians. Using the model, we attempt to demonstrate some new findings that can be applied to disaster prevention planning by examining evacuation plans and various settings in earthquake simulations.