Hyogoken-Nanbu (Kobe) Earthquake of January 17, 1995: Lifeline Performance

Prepared by the Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering of ASCE.

On January 17, 1995, the Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake struck the Kobe, Japan, area. The earthquake and subsequent fires resulted in 6,300 deaths, 30,000 injuries, and the destruction of 150,000 buildings. More than 300,000 people were left homeless, and the estimated direct economic losses are US$200 billion. The lifelines, which were concentrated adjacent to Osaka Bay, were in soft soils or fill that both amplif…