The Kobe Earthquake
The Kobe Earthquake occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995 at 5:46 A.M. It was a 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale, killed around 6,000 people, and left around 300,000 homeless. The earthquake was caused by a strike-slip mechanism along the Nojima Fault when the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate collided.Important damage effects include the ruin of approximately 150,000 buildings, the collapse of 1km of the Hanshin Expressway, the destruction of 120 quays and large fires ravaging the city. Also, the supply of electricity was disrupted and residents were afraid to return home for several days because of aftershocks. The main reason it caused so much damage is because the focus of the earthquake was very shallow at a depth of 16km below the epicenter. About $100,000,000,000 dollars, 2.5% of Japan’s GDP at the time, and only 3% of the property in the Kobe area was covered by earthquake insurance. The earthquake caused a major decline in Japanese stock markets, but the local economy recovered fairly quickly, with import and export volumes recovering fully in about one year. Manufacturing activity in Kobe was at 98% of its projected pre-quake level by March of 1996. 1995 is often regarded as a turning point in the emergence of volunteerism as a major form of civic engagement in Japan. The government made January 17 national Disaster Prevention and Volunteerism Day. Also, the week from January 15 to 21 is commemorated with seminars, lectures, and other events designed to encourage voluntary disaster preparedness.