Development of the Training Tool “KUG” for Temporary Lodging Facilities and Companies for Stranded Commuters

Abstract

In order to restrain stranded commuters from returning home en masse in the event of an earthquake, in recent years in large cities across Japan, it has been necessary to encourage stranded commuters, who have no place to go to, to remain on their company premises or stay in temporary lodging facilities. However, specific plans and systems that provide appropriate accommodation for stranded commuters vary greatly depending on the state of the disaster, the characteristics of the facilities, and the affected region. Considering the issue of responsibility, it is difficult for business operators to permit stranded commuters to stay. Therefore, local governments have been making efforts to regard their offices as temporary lodging facilities through agreements and setting up a subsidy system for stockpiling. However, they have not yet made progress in securing temporary lodging facilities, nor in the preparations for restraining small and medium-sized enterprise workers from simultaneously returning home in large numbers. To address this issue, this study developed a training tool on the map with which offices can consider the stay and acceptance of stranded commuters and evaluated its usefulness through a workshop and a questionnaire survey.