Study on Oil Spread Caused by the 1964 Niigata Earthquake Tsunami

Chain disasters involving flammable materials colliding with tsunami-driven objects are not well understood. Despite the pressing need for knowledge on effects, scenarios have not been clarified. We reviewed the process of complex tsunami disasters, focusing on the spread of large fires caused by the destruction of oil storage tanks and tsunami inundations during the 1964 Niigata earthquake. We propose a model for simulating oil spread on tsunami inundation flow using a 2-layer hydrodynamic model preliminarily tested in a simple numerical wave tank. We discuss our results and projected perspectives.