Scientists make fascinating discovery after studying earthquakes and tsunamis: 'Critical insights'

Scientists have created a new method to predict cleanup times for disaster waste in coastal communities hit by earthquakes and tsunamis, reported EurekAlert.

This research addresses an important yet often overlooked aspect of disaster recovery: managing the massive piles of debris that remain. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake left 23 million tons of waste, while the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake created 2.7 million tons, equal to seven years of normal waste disposal.

The work from Waseda University provides a practical approach to forecasting cleanup periods by examining the interplay between waste facilities and road networks. Previous methods missed how these systems rely on each other, particularly when both get damaged by the same disaster.

Led by professor Mitsuyoshi Akiyama and adjunct researcher Koki Aoki, the team created a computer model that shows the systems working as one.

The approach starts by mapping buildings, waste sites, and roads in the affected zone. Then, it assesses potential damage from earthquakes and tsunamis, calculates the amount of waste that would accumulate, and determines how quickly it could be cleared based on the state of roads and processing centers.

"Our findings suggest retrofitting bridges in the [road network system] and sparse placement of processing facilities in the [waste disposal system] before the event can reduce disaster waste disposal time," the researchers explained in their paper published in Reliability Engineering & System Safety.

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When the team tested its approach on a mock coastal area in Japan's Mie Prefecture, it found that broken bridges cause major delays in waste removal, even when processing centers are still operational. Among several possible fixes, quickly setting up temporary processing sites after a disaster proved most effective in expediting the cleanup.

"The proposed method provides critical insights for future disaster waste management to enhance community resilience before the anticipated Nankai Trough earthquake," the researchers said.

This tool gives coastal communities a science-based way to assess their disaster readiness and make better choices about infrastructure spending. The method is ready for communities to use as they prepare for possible seismic events, including Japan's anticipated Nankai Trough earthquake.

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