Tornado Disaster 2012 in Northern Kanto and the Features of Tornado Disasters in Japan
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Several almost simultaneously tornadoes on May 6, 2012, in Northern Kanto, Japan caused widespread damage and injury. Based on site investigations, one hit Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture was classified as F3-plus on the Fujita scale. What we found was a relatively little-known damage situation in Japan that included a wooden residence turned over and pulling up its concrete foundation, a severely damaged fivestorey reinforced-concrete building, and an unusually high number of wooden buildings completely destroyed. Another tornado hitting an elementary school in Moka City in Tochigi Prefecture did not injure anyone because it occurred on a Sunday, when school was out. The amount of damage at the school, however, made us realize how few basic antitornado measures were in place at tornado-education facilities. This paper summerizes tornado effects in Tsukuba and discusses some of the features of recent tornado damage in Japan.
Source: Journal of Disaster Research
Authors: Junji Maeda, Eriko Tomokiyo
Institution: Kyushu University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2587957697