The Noto Peninsula earthquake caused many casualties due to the collapse of houses. Meanwhile, in Fukuoka, while the earthquake resistance rate for houses is about 90%, the earthquake resistance rate for wooden houses is not yet 80%. We followed the scene of an earthquake resistance diagnosis to prepare for life. On the evening of New Year's Day, a huge earthquake struck the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture. ■Reporter: "Here, an elderly woman is said to be trapped, and rescue operations are being carried out using heavy machinery." The shaking, which had a maximum seismic intensity of 7, caused damage to more than 40,000 houses. Of the 127 deaths announced by Ishikawa Prefecture, 111 died from the collapse of houses. In Wajima City and Suzu City, which were particularly hard hit, there are many old wooden houses, and the proportion of houses that meet the earthquake resistance standards, the so-called earthquake resistance rate, was around 50%, lower than the national average. Seven active faults, including the Kego Fault, have been confirmed in Fukuoka Prefecture. The earthquake resistance rate is approaching 90%, but if we limit it to wooden detached houses, more than 20% do not meet the earthquake resistance standards. ■Advisor: "Oh, there's a leak. The pillar is leaning over there." Knowing in advance whether your house can withstand an earthquake is a life-saving preparation. A woman in her 70s living in a wooden one-story house in Ogori City, Fukuoka Prefecture, made a request. ■Client: "What if the foundation is bad even after renovation..." The woman requested a seismic diagnosis to check whether the house is sufficiently earthquake-resistant. In Fukuoka Prefecture, architects certified by the prefecture perform diagnosis for 6,000 yen for wooden houses built before 1981, when the earthquake resistance standards were revised. ■Client: "I couldn't make up my mind, but I had to do it after the Noto Peninsula earthquake." This house was built in 1968 and is 55 years old. This is an experiment to check the seismic resistance of houses built before 1981. Only the house on the left has been reinforced against earthquakes. The shaking is the same as the Noto Peninsula earthquake, with a seismic intensity of 7. The first floor of the unreinforced house on the right was crushed and collapsed. Current earthquake resistance standards assume a seismic intensity of 6+ to 7+, while older earthquake resistance standards from before 1981 only assumed an intensity of 5+. It is known that the older the house, the greater the damage in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. The earthquake resistance diagnosis began with the attic. 1) Check whether the structure is solid, such as the wooden framework and metal installation, and 2) whether it has deteriorated. The diagnosis is made while following the thin beams so that the ceiling does not collapse. ■Advisor: "Oh, there are traces of rainwater leaks." What we found was a stain-like trace of rainwater leaks. If left unattended, corrosion will spread and cause the earthquake resistance to decrease. Next, we head to the basement. The important thing here is humidity. ■Advisor: "If there is no ventilation, humidity will build up, and if the humidity is high, termites are more likely to come." Termites, who eat the wood under the floor, weaken the strength of the building. Therefore, it is not recommended to place objects to block the ventilation holes. When we were about to start the investigation by crawling under the floorboards, we noticed something. ■Advisor: "Block foundation? It's a block foundation." A block foundation is a foundation for a house built by stacking concrete blocks. It has lower earthquake resistance than the currently mainstream reinforced concrete foundation. Therefore, we carefully check for cracks in the foundation. Meanwhile, above, we investigate the deterioration of the floor, pillars, and walls. While checking the inclination of the pillar with a level, the client pointed out something. ■Client: "This part stopped moving at all, so I had it scraped down." He said that it was difficult to open and close the sliding door. ■Advisor: "Is the beam or the lintel sagging?" When we shined a vertical laser beam on the pillar in the living room, we found that it was slightly tilted. ■Advisor: "It's leaning toward the kitchen." We also checked the outside of the house for cracks and other deterioration, and the earthquake resistance diagnosis was completed in about two and a half hours. ■Architect: "I'd like to give you the results after making thorough calculations. If the diagnosis results are good, you can continue to live in the house, but if they are bad, we will even suggest reinforcement." The diagnosis results will be available in two to three weeks. If the earthquake resistance is low, they say they will do reinforcement work. ■Client: "I haven't heard how much it will cost, and I don't know, but if it collapses, it's over, so preparation is the most important thing. I will reinforce it and continue living in it." Once again, Fukuoka Prefecture has a system that allows you to request an earthquake resistance diagnosis at a low cost. It applies to wooden detached houses built before May 1981, when the earthquake resistance standards were revised. Depending on the results of the diagnosis, we will provide reinforcement plans and estimates for the work. The cost is 6,000 yen for a general diagnosis, and 3,000 yen for a simple diagnosis that does not require crawling under the floor. In addition, if you carry out reinforcement work, you can receive a subsidy for part of the cost. The subsidy amount varies depending on the municipality, such as a maximum of 900,000 yen in Fukuoka City and 1 million yen in Kitakyushu City, so please contact the municipality. #NotoPeninsulaEarthquake #Earthquake #DisasterPrevention #EarthquakeResistance #EarthquakeInspectionCoverage: Fukuoka Prefectural Architecture and Housing Centerhttps://www.fkjc.or.jp/jigyo/tadFor the latest news, please visit https://www.fbs.co.jp/fbsnews/. X Also broadcasting on FBS Fukuoka Broadcasting News (@FBS_NEWS5). / fbs_news5