People Who Cannot Move During a Disaster – Initiatives and Examples in Japan Disaster Victim Support

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiichi Yamasaki ◽  
◽  
Haruo Hayashi ◽  

The main purpose of this paper is to explore the vulnerability of disaster victims from the perspective of immobility, in contrast to the conventional perspective of mobility. What causes immobility in Japan? And how have immobile people been treated? In this article, I will attempt to answer these questions using some concrete examples. Immobile people have been recognized as “people requiring assistance during a disaster” (PRADD). This term helps us understand immobility in Japan. The Sanjou flood (2004) prompted the formulation of the “Guidelines for Evacuation Support of People Requiring Assistance during a Disaster.” The national government has encouraged local governments and residents to be prepared for a disaster using the guidelines. Nevertheless, preparations for disasters have not progressed very well. It was in this context that the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) occurred. During the GEJE, immobility raised the risk of death for PRADD due to the tsunami. After the tsunami, there were also PRADD who could not evacuate to shelters because they were anxious about how life would be there. Now many victims live in temporary housing. There will be people who cannot move to temporary housing in the future. It is likely that they will be mainly PRADD. These cases make it clear that immobility causes vulnerability to disasters. I will also provide an example of how mobility causes vulnerability in a disaster – a stranded commuter or person during the GEJE.

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munenari Inoguchi ◽  
◽  
Keiko Tamura ◽  
Haruo Hayashi ◽  
◽  
...  

Once a disaster occurs, local governments have a responsibility to provide many kinds of administrative support to the people affected. However, it is very difficult for local responders to get an understanding of the victims’ progress in rebuilding their lives because of the lack of a unified master database of information on the victims. In response to this issue, we aimed to design and develop such a master database, following the work flow of administrative supports. Based on this database, we also graphically represented the status of the progress victims were making in rebuilding their lives in GIS in the city of Kashiwazaki after the 2007 Chuetsu-oki Earthquake in Niigata Prefecture. As a result of this visualization, it was realized that local responders had provided support to the victims in an aggressive and effective manner.


Author(s):  
Koichi Masuda ◽  
Mitsuhiro Masuda ◽  
Kiyokazu Minami ◽  
Tomoki Ikoma ◽  
Masato Ohno ◽  
...  

When the tsunami attacks in harbors, the vessels moored at the wharf may be unable to be evacuated. In such a case, damages such as, breaking the mooring tethers, grounding on a wharf, drift to land areas and the collision with buildings are assumed. And, after suffering a disaster, the base for supporting medical treatment and a life is necessary to disaster victims. In this research, the floating tsunami protection wharf (FTPW) is proposed. This present paper describes the tsunami simulation and the motion analysis of vessel moored at the FTPW using the MPS Method. In this research, the 3D-MPS method is applied. The applicability of the FTPW was examined. Moreover, the feasibility of the disaster victim support base on the FTPW deck was examined.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sho Takahashi ◽  
Mikihito Ishiki ◽  
Naoki Kondo ◽  
Aiko Ishiki ◽  
Takeshi Toriyama ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTObjectiveWe launched a health promotion program called the Hamarassen (“let’s get together”) Farm, which provided farming opportunities for the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake who resided in temporary housing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of this program on physical and mental health in terms of bone mineral density (BMD) and a sense of purpose in life.MethodsAmong 39 female participants in whom BMD was evaluated, there were 12 Hamarassen participants, 8 self-farming control subjects, and 19 non-farming control subjects. BMD was measured by calcaneal quantitative ultrasound immediately after the project launch and 5 months later. A sense of purpose in life prior to and 2 months after the project’s commencement was measured in 21 additional Hamarassen participants by use of the K-I Scale. Interviews were also conducted to qualitatively evaluate the effects of the Hamarassen program.ResultsThe mean BMD T-score improved by 0.43 in the Hamarassen group, by 0.33 in the self-farming group, and by 0.06 in the controls (p=0.02). Among the 21 Hamarassen participants in whom mental health was evaluated, the average score for a sense of purpose in life improved from 20.5 to 24.9 (p=0.001).ConclusionsThe Hamarassen Farm provided disaster victims with opportunities for social participation, interpersonal interaction, and physical exercise; such opportunities may improve physical and psychosocial well-being. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:103-110)


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 967-971
Author(s):  
Shohei Beniya ◽  

After a large-scale disaster, affected local governments face challenges such as a shortage of skilled staff in disaster response operations. Human resource support from external organizations is essential. This paper summarizes the major achievements of the human support system in Japan for affected local governments from the perspective of both local and national government support in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). However, several issues still need to be considered. In terms of mutual support among local governments, this paper proposes the following three points for future wide-area mega-disasters: First, each local government should enhance its own disaster response capacity. Second, the entire country should use skilled human resources effectively. Third, national and local governments should prepare to receive assistance from overseas. This paper also proposes the following three points for the support of the national government’s onsite organizations. First, the national government should define a detailed plan for dispatching personnel to affected areas. Second, the national government should dispatch support teams directly to each affected prefecture, instead of setting up onsite organizations that cover multiple prefectures. Third, local governments should prepare to receive these onsite organizations.


2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 372-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Tanaka ◽  

This paper analyzes the building damage inspection in the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu-Oki earthquake and proposes a building damage inspection by disaster victims themselves. It is well known that the building damage is important in estimating the amount of damage brought by disasters. One important type of damage survey is loss evaluation, conducted by local governments for determining the apportionment of money, donations, allotment of temporary housing, and other recovery- related benefits. Despite the existence of guidelines, however, many issues require technical and procedural improvement. Based on the damage inspection data collected by Kashiwazaki officials following the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu-Oki earthquake, we identified key factors hampering the inspection and propose self-inspection as a solution in loss evaluation.


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatsugu Orui

Abstract. Background: Monitoring of suicide rates in the recovery phase following a devastating disaster has been limited. Aim: We report on a 7-year follow-up of the suicide rates in the area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred in March 2011. Method: This descriptive study covered the period from March 2009 to February 2018. Period analysis was used to divide the 108-month study period into nine segments, in which suicide rates were compared with national averages using Poisson distribution. Results: Male suicide rates in the affected area from March 2013 to February 2014 increased to a level higher than the national average. After subsequently dropping, the male rates from March 2016 to February 2018 re-increased and showed a greater difference compared with the national averages. The difference became significant in the period from March 2017 to February 2018 ( p = .047). Limitations: Specific reasons for increasing the rates in the recovery phase were not determined. Conclusion: The termination of the provision of free temporary housing might be influential in this context. Provision of temporary housing was terminated from 2016, which increased economic hardship among needy evacuees. Furthermore, disruption of the social connectedness in the temporary housing may have had an influence. Our findings suggest the necessity of suicide rate monitoring even in the recovery phase.


Yuridika ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Prajwalita Widiati ◽  
Haidar Adam

Decentralisation puts weigh in the dynamic of local government. As consequences of decentralization, local governments are entitled to enact local regulation in order to serve public services in the daily basis. Local regulation as the product of the Mayor of course does not stand alone. It is part of national legislative system which lay at the low tier of the hierarchy of laws. It should be work effectively and harmoniously with the system. By analyzing the nature of decentralization and the function of local legislation, it is essential to establish a good review mechanism for this legislative product. Different mechanism results in different consequences to the regulation. This article has analysed three mechanisms both preventive and represive; executive review which is done by the Governor and National Government; judicial review which is done by the Court and even political review which is exercised by the local representatives who act as balancing power to the local executive.Keywords: Peraturan Kepala Daerah, Executive Review, Judicial Review, Political Review


Author(s):  
Do Duy Thinh ◽  
Nguyen Van Xuan ◽  
Nguyen Ngoc Long Giang

Urban open spaces (e.g. urban parks) play a pivotal role in improving the quality of life of city dwellers through accommodating various physical and social activities, while further creating social coherence for sustainable development. Due to the shortage of open green spaces in the city, caused by rapid urbanization in developing countries, some big, long-standing urban public spaces such as district parks have been retained, and improved to serve as the main public space for local people. However, such spaces commonly provide outdated, low quality facilities that discourage people from using the park. To satisfy users’ needs, local governments have launched campaigns to improve parks based on the ideas of domestic or foreign designers. The purpose of this research is to explore different behaviors of residents in an open space in Da Nang (Vietnam) which can support the future development and improvement of local open space in accordance with environmental behavior theory. User behaviors were identified and categorized based on their activities in the open space, collected using the place-centered behavior mapping method. Results of the statistical analysis revealed that this open space could be divided into three types, each of which had four dimensions: public facilities setting; openness; accessibility; and recreational facilities. The findings showed some aspects that need to be considered during the development process of open space as follows: 1) increasing the quantity and quality of public amenities; 2) separating accessible space and/or buffer space from already used space inside the park, particularly in the entrance zone; 3) providing space adjacent to the lake; and 4) removing obstacles (e.g. walls around the park) to give a clearer view from inside the park to the streets outside and vice versa. Also, the calculation model of evidence-based designs provides input data for re-planning or creating public space/parks to help designers, planners and authorities improve or design better open spaces in the future.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document