Comparison between the life recovery processes after the mid-Niigata earthquake and the Chuetsu-Oki earthquake – results of a random sampled social survey using the life recovery calendar and GIS-based spatiotemporal analysis

This study focuses on recovery efforts following the Mid-Niigata Earthquake in October 2004 and the Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake in July 2007 in Niigata Prefecture. Results of a randomsample questionnaire survey conducted in affected areas and throughout the prefecture are analyzed using a life recovery calendar, which identifies disaster damage in affected areas and in Niigata with the objective of systematically understanding the status and process of rebuilding lives. Although the magnitude of devastation and the nature of the disasters differ, both have similar life recovery processes. It is to be noted, however, that the impact of the Mid-Niigata Earthquake lingered over a larger area for a longer period than for the Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake.