Disaster education: Do manga materials based on the overlooked concept of postevacuation behaviors affect selective attention in people returning immediately after a major earthquake to evacuated buildings posing Natech risks?

Buildings where hazardous materials (e.g., flammable, oxidizing, toxic, and asphyxiating chemicals) are stored and handled differ from general buildings. Such buildings are susceptible to natural hazard–triggered technological disasters (Natechs), including fires, explosions, poisoning, and asphyxiation. Previous studies have found that most individuals prefer to re-enter evacuated buildings that do not appear damaged. However, unsafe re-entry into buildings with hazardous materials immediately following major earthquakes poses significant risks, potentially placing the lives of those that survived the main shock at risk. This study probed the effectiveness of manga-based educational materials on selective attention immediately following major earthquakes, focusing on re-entry into buildings where hazardous materials were stored and handled. A survey was administered to 878 Japanese undergraduate and graduate university students that collected their demographic information, focusing on the respondents’ attention priorities during their re-entry. The results showed that most participants who re-entered evacuated buildings focused primarily on items and/or events such as falling objects and ceilings that were associated with seismic activity before reading educational materials. Moreover, participants continued to direct their attention to hazardous materials in the buildings after reading the materials. The participants who read manga-based materials demonstrated greater attention to hazardous materials than those who read text-based materials conveying equivalent content. These findings support the development of effective disaster education materials relating to facilities that store and handle hazardous materials, significantly reducing Natechs-associated risks.