Nuclear fallout shelters cracked in the Ishikawa earthquake

The Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 1, 2024 exposed flaws in specialized indoor shelters designed to protect evacuees from radiation leakage in nuclear power plant disasters.

These radiation shielding facilities are equipped with systems to increase internal air pressure, ample storage space for food and water, and are supposed to comply with the latest earthquake resistance standards.

But the 7.6-magnitude quake created cracks and caused other damage in 14 of 20 emergency shelters in Ishikawa Prefecture.

In six shelters, defects and distortions were detected that could lead to malfunctioning of the protective features.

Although the quake, with a maximum intensity of 7 on the Japanese seismic scale, did not damage the Shika Nuclear Power Plant in Ishikawa Prefecture, cracks in the shelters raised concerns.

“It is difficult to completely prevent damage to facilities during a disaster,” a Cabinet Office official said. “We will consider introducing additional facilities to support internal evacuation.”

Susumu Kitano, 64, a quake victim who heads a group seeking legal action to stop the operation of the Shika nuclear plant, questioned the effectiveness of indoor evacuation centers.

He stressed that even small openings in the walls could affect the shelters' ability to block radioactive materials, even with high internal air pressure.

“Damage to indoor evacuation facilities has been reported in a series of cases,” Kitano said. “This indicates that additional countermeasures are still indispensable to reduce the impact of radioactive materials.”

An earthquake with a seismic magnitude of 7 or so inevitably collapses houses and closes roads.

Anti-radiation shelters are mainly intended for residents, such as the elderly or people with disabilities, who cannot escape on their own in the event of a nuclear disaster.

According to the Cabinet Office, Japan has 300 radiation protection shelters. About 10 of them are newly built while the rest have been converted from traditional facilities used for other purposes.

Under evacuation plans drawn up by municipalities, residents living within 5 kilometers of nuclear plants are generally supposed to flee in their cars or buses organized by local governments in the event of a serious accident.

If roads become impassable due to damage and residents are unable to evacuate by other means, they must remain in their homes or in designated shelters.

Hirotada Hirose, professor emeritus of disaster risk studies at Tokyo Women's Christian University, pointed to another potential problem in shelters: mental stress.

“Staying indoors for long periods of time to protect against invisible radioactive materials can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and loneliness,” Hirose said.

He added that the situation at the damaged nuclear plant may worsen as residents remain in their homes, making it more difficult to escape safely.

Naoya Sekiya, professor of disaster informatics and sociology at the University of Tokyo, called for stronger safety measures in shelters.

“Earthquake-damaged buildings are at risk of collapsing in the event of aftershocks,” Sikia said. “Having people temporarily remain in their homes without assessing the risk of shelters collapsing can directly contribute to fatal risks.”

He said it was “unrealistic” for residents to feel safe in their homes at the time of the earthquake.

He stressed the need to make continuous efforts to reduce the risks of accidents as long as the threats continue.

Shelter tour in Tohoku

Several inland evacuation centers have been set up around Tohoku Electric Power Company's Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant in Miyagi Prefecture.

The plant, hosted by Onagawa City and Ishinomaki City, resumed generating electricity at its No. 2 reactor on November 15.

November 16 marked 5,000 days since the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan in 2011. The disaster also affected the Onagawa Power Plant.

Onagawa City recently organized a tour of the anti-radiation shelter completed in March in the Koyadori area north of the nuclear plant.

After opening the heavy double-walled doors, the municipal official led the tour participants to a windowless reinforced concrete building. The indoor air had a smell reminiscent of a new home.

The first and second floors contain rooms designated for residents. The floors are color-coded to help evacuees identify their individual spaces, each measuring 2 meters by 2 metres.

A storage room there stores enough food and water for 33 residents over seven days, according to the municipality's emergency preparedness plan. An electric kettle is available to boil water.

The second floor contains a control panel to regulate atmospheric pressure.

As soon as the guide turned the dial, the air pressure inside became 100 Pas higher than outside within a minute or so.

Increased internal pressure can prevent outside air – and radioactive materials – from entering the building.

The shelter was installed in Koyadori in line with the municipal evacuation plan drawn up by Onagawa Town.

Ishinomaki City is similarly moving toward establishing indoor evacuation centers. Twelve shelters are now accessible, eight in Ishinomaki and four in Onagawa.

It required 400 million yen ($2.5 million) of taxpayer money to build the shelter in Koyadori in 2023. The other 11 shelters were redesigned from existing buildings.

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