At the disaster prevention event "Sonaeru Disaster Prevention in Kuki Miyashiro" held on September 11th at "DPL Kuki Miyashiro I" in Miyashiro Town, Saitama Prefecture, Daiwa House Industry invited local residents to tour the logistics facility, which is not normally open to the public, allowing them to experience firsthand the role of logistics in supporting daily life. The event also introduced how the facility could be used as a temporary evacuation site in the event of a disaster. Participants shared their impressions and asked many questions after actually seeing the inside of the logistics facility, which is normally off-limits.
<Participants listening to an explanation at a cafe terrace that will be used as a temporary evacuation site during disasters>
Daiwa House Industry has been developing the "DPL Regional Connection Project," a community coexistence project, at its logistics facilities nationwide since May. As the first phase, on May 17th, they held a disaster prevention event, "Sonaeru Disaster Prevention in Nagareyama," at "DPL Nagareyama IV" in Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture. The event included vehicle evacuation simulations simulating torrential rain and typhoons, as well as disaster prevention experiences using VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality).
"Sonaeru Disaster Prevention in Kuki Miyashiro" was the second disaster prevention event following the one held in Nagareyama, and approximately 35 local residents participated, taking part in activities such as a tour of the facilities and water discharge training using training water fire extinguishers.
In January 2023, Daiwa House Industry and Miyashiro Town signed an agreement regarding the use of "DPL Kuki Miyashiro I" as a temporary evacuation facility in the event of a disaster. This agreement includes the use of common areas such as the cafeteria and restrooms as a temporary evacuation site. In addition to utilizing the common areas such as the cafeteria and restrooms as a temporary evacuation site, the site will also be used as a parking lot with a capacity of up to 800 cars, accommodating approximately 1800 temporary evacuees.
The facility also includes storage space for Miyashiro Town's emergency supplies, and has prepared temporary beds and other equipment for approximately 100 people.
<There is also space for storing disaster relief supplies prepared by Miyashiro Town.>
During the facility tour, we viewed the first floor, which is currently unoccupied, while receiving explanations from Mr. Yugo Mizuta of the Sales Section 1, Second Sales Department, Construction Division, Tokyo Head Office of Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.
<Participants listening to an explanation inside the warehouse>
The participants were amazed by the size of the floor, which was the size of two soccer fields, and listened attentively to Mr. Mizuta's explanation that the total floor area of "DPL Kuki Miyashiro I" reaches 120,000 square meters and that it is the only logistics facility in the area with rampways on both sides.
In response to the explanation, participants raised simple questions such as "What does DPL stand for?" and "What is the structure of the facility?"
Mr. Mizuta explained that DPL stands for "Daiwa Project Logistics" and that it has a seismic isolation structure, making it durable enough to withstand earthquakes of around magnitude 7 without collapsing.
Afterward, we moved to the fourth floor, which is used by e-commerce companies, to observe actual warehouse operations and learn a part of how familiar products, such as beverages, get into the hands of consumers.
One question was raised about the air conditioning system inside the warehouse. The explanation given was that the facility was not equipped with air conditioning upon completion, and that it was generally the responsibility of each tenant company to install their own.
After touring the facility, we experienced evacuation procedures simulating poor visibility due to smoke during a fire, under the guidance and explanation of staff from the Saitama Eastern Fire Department, in the vehicle access area on the first floor.
<Participants experiencing the difficulty of walking through smoke>
Daiwa House Industry plans to continue holding events related to the "DPL Regional Connection Project," and in December, they will hold Christmas events at "DPL Kuki Miyashiro I," as well as "DPL Nagareyama IV" and "DPL Koto Fukagawa."
