Society

Over 800,000 people live in potential Mt. Fuji evacuation areas

Mar 30 (NHK) - Japanese officials and experts say more than 800,000 people live in areas that may be subject to evacuation warnings if Mount Fuji erupts.

A volcanic disaster management council is working to draft a new evacuation plan based on a revised hazard map for such an eruption released last year.

The council made up of local and central government officials and experts presented an interim report on Wednesday.

Mount Fuji straddles the central Japanese prefectures of Shizuoka and Yamanashi.

The report says parts of the two and Kanagawa Prefecture could be designated as evacuation zones if the mountain erupts. It says 805,600 people live in the areas.

The report estimates that some 116,000 people live in areas that may be reached by lava flows within three hours of an eruption. The number is up sevenfold from a previous projection. The areas also could be hit by pyroclastic flows or large volcanic rocks.

The council notes that if residents in city centers evacuate by car all at once, serious traffic jams could result, hampering people's ability to escape.

Due to such concerns, the report proposes that residents evacuate on foot in principle, except for those who need to use cars, such as people with disabilities and the elderly.

The council plans to complete a final draft of the evacuation plan by the end of March 2023.

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