From long distances to evacuation sites to a lack of appropriate shelter structures and warm clothing, municipalities in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region are struggling to plan for a tsunami caused by an ocean trench megaquake.
Proposals to shorten evacuation times include creating evacuation routes protected from the elements as well as constructing facilities with heating available for evacuees.
Fatalities caused by tsunami generated from a massive quake off Japan s north and northeastern Pacific coast could be reduced by 80 percent if people evacuate quickly, a government task force on disaster management said on March 22.