Preliminary Reports from the Hyogo-ken Nambu Earthquake of January 17, 1995

The Hyogo-ken Nambu earthquake occurred January 17, 1995 at 5:47 a.m. local time near the city of Kobe, Japan. The earthquake caused over 5,000 deaths and extensive property damage in a highly urbanized area of Japan.

Several MCEER investigators were in nearby Osaka, Japan when the earthquake occurred, to attend the Fourth U.S.-Japan Workshop on Urban Hazards Reduction, organized by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI).They participated in reconnaissance efforts following the earthquake, and their insights and first impressions are presented here. Several MCEER researchers have visited Kobe since the earthquake and have also contributed to this preliminary report. A more detailed reconnaissance report is expected to be published by MCEER this spring.

The entire Response publication (pdf 360 kb) may be downloaded, or the individual articles may be viewed here.

Some of the material reported herein is based upon work supported in whole or in part by the National Science Foundation, tbe New York State Science and Technology Foundation, the U.S. Department of Transportation and other sponsors. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of MCEER or its sponsors.