Türkiye and Morocco earthquake: Helping evacuees in the affected areas
-Still tough evacuation life-
-Donation of Japanese simple houses-
We will deliver a summary of the latest NHK articles.
A major earthquake occurs overseas:
In September, an earthquake occurred in Morocco, North Africa.
In February, the Türkiye-Syria earthquake occurred. More than 56,000 people were killed.
Even now, they are forced to live a harsh life as an evacuee.
Donate Japanese simple houses:
In order to help the local people, simple housing developed in Japan was sent to the disaster-stricken areas of Turkey.
Features of simple housing:
The special feature is that it can be made quickly, even by one person.
”You can complete a simple house in four hours.”
A new technology born from Japan’s experience with the earthquake.
This will be used to help disaster-stricken areas overseas.
Simple housing in the disaster-stricken areas of Türkiye:
Antakya in southern Turkey was severely damaged by the Turkey-Syria earthquake.
Two months after the earthquake, Japan urgently sent tent-shaped temporary housing to the area.
Specifications of this simple house:
4.3 meters high and 20 square meters in area.
It has excellent insulation properties and can accommodate 3 to 4 adults.
By the end of this year, 100 new buildings will be sent to the site.
Officials from Turkish government agencies:
The tents in the disaster area are extremely hot as there is no airflow.
”Japanese simple houses are cool at night.”
These are popular for being safer and more comfortable.
Nagoya Institute of Technology: Professor Keisuke Kitagawa
Why does it take three to six months to construct temporary housing?
It was developed in response to questions from disaster victims after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The impetus for this project came from the wishes of children at evacuation centers after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
And he devised this simple house.
Comforts of this simple home:
Even without an air conditioner, the inside feels very shady.
It’s a great way to stay cool, so I’d like people to take full advantage of it.
“Complete in 4 hours”
We have been collaborating with companies and have been conducting research for nine years.
The unique feature of this simple house is that it can be built by just one person.
How to install a simple house
First, secure the part that touches the ground with screws.
It only took 4 hours to complete everything.
Next, pump air to inflate it.
Complete by spraying urethane insulation.
Strength tests have shown that it can withstand winds of 80 meters per hour.
Utilize materials from disaster-stricken areas
Mr. Kitagawa is currently researching ways to build simple houses using local materials.
What we are currently focusing on is starch paste made from potatoes.
Creating “insulation material”
Mix this starch paste with water and mix it with other paper or old clothes.
He explained that this creates an “insulating material.”
Providing simple housing at low prices
Instead of starch paste, materials such as corn or rice are used for insulation.
Currently, each building costs about 2.6 million yen.
The price of simple housing can be lowered.
Campsite accommodations
This simple house is already on sale in Japan.
The use of campgrounds as lodging facilities is progressing.
Professor Kitagawa’s hope
We don’t just want to provide products, we want to convey useful technology to local people.
We will incorporate our knowledge at a lower cost.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/contents/ohabiz/articles/2023_0912.html