On January 17th, 1995 a 7.3 scale quake struck Kobe at 5:46 AM. Some
stats:
* Almost 6,000 people were killed, 70% from crushing or
suffocation
* 236,000 were forced to live in temporary shelters. Almost 600
shelters were in operation
* 67,471 structures were collapsed
* 55,145 structured were partially collapsed
The epicenter of the quake was 16 km below the are where the Akashi
Kaikyo Bridge now stands. Many of us have driven over the bridge on the
way to Awaji island. - it was under construction at the time. Only the
towers were erected so it was largely unharmed. The quake did move the
towers apart by almost 1 meter, so the design and construction of the
bridge had to be altered as a result.
The Hanshin expressway collapsed onto the road below (see picture). I
drive the Hanshin Express every day on the way to and from work.
The building that we live in was constructed in 1992, so it survived the
quake. That gives us some comfort!
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