5:15 PM - 6:30 PM
[O02-P11] Conservation and Utillization of Natural Disaster Monument on Tosashimizu Geopark Plan
Keywords:Natural Disaster Monument, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods
Tosashimizu City in Kochi Prefecture, which corresponds to the area of the Tosashimizu Geopark plan, is facing the Pacific Ocean, and there are concerns about damage caused by the Nankai Trough earthquake and the resulting massive tsunami. In the past Earthquakes, such as the Hakuho, Hōei, Ansei Nankai, and Showa Nankai earthquakes, the city was severely damaged by earthquakes and tsunamis, which have been recorded in documents and monuments. In the Tosashimizu Geopark plan, seven stone monuments with records of Nankai Trough earthquakes and tsunamis existing in the area were designated as "Earthquake and Tsunami Related Monuments" as a cultural site. However, it was pointed out in the 2017 review for membership in the Japanese Geoparks Network that there was no legal basis for conservation. In addition, the use of the site for disaster prevention education was not sufficiently advanced.
In order to solve these problems, the Tosashimizu Geopark Promotion Council, in cooperation with citizens' groups and Tosashimizu City, conducted an exhaustive survey of the existing monuments recording past natural disasters in the area in 2019. As a result, 13 monuments related to other natural disasters, such as floods, were found, in addition to the earthquake and tsunami monuments that had already been designated as sites. These monuments were registered as "Natural Disaster Monuments" by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, and those with particularly high historical value were registered as tangible cultural properties designated by the city.
The Tosashimizu Geopark Promotion Council has reorganized these monuments as "Monuments to Natural Disasters," which include not only about earthquake and tsunami disasters, but also flood and typhoon disasters, and is promoting their use for disaster prevention education and awareness-raising about disaster prevention and mitigation. We conducted disaster prevention studies using the natural disaster monument at local elementary schools last year, and the monument will be included in a supplementary reader for social studies issued by the Board of Education. In addition, in cooperation with the Crisis Management Division, the division in charge of disaster prevention in Tosashimizu City, we are working to realize integrated disaster prevention and mitigation activities.
We will report on our action to preserve and utilize the stone monuments that record natural disasters in the Tosashimizu Geopark Plan. We will also discuss the prospects for disaster prevention and mitigation activities based on the use of natural disaster monuments in cooperation with citizens and local governments.
In order to solve these problems, the Tosashimizu Geopark Promotion Council, in cooperation with citizens' groups and Tosashimizu City, conducted an exhaustive survey of the existing monuments recording past natural disasters in the area in 2019. As a result, 13 monuments related to other natural disasters, such as floods, were found, in addition to the earthquake and tsunami monuments that had already been designated as sites. These monuments were registered as "Natural Disaster Monuments" by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, and those with particularly high historical value were registered as tangible cultural properties designated by the city.
The Tosashimizu Geopark Promotion Council has reorganized these monuments as "Monuments to Natural Disasters," which include not only about earthquake and tsunami disasters, but also flood and typhoon disasters, and is promoting their use for disaster prevention education and awareness-raising about disaster prevention and mitigation. We conducted disaster prevention studies using the natural disaster monument at local elementary schools last year, and the monument will be included in a supplementary reader for social studies issued by the Board of Education. In addition, in cooperation with the Crisis Management Division, the division in charge of disaster prevention in Tosashimizu City, we are working to realize integrated disaster prevention and mitigation activities.
We will report on our action to preserve and utilize the stone monuments that record natural disasters in the Tosashimizu Geopark Plan. We will also discuss the prospects for disaster prevention and mitigation activities based on the use of natural disaster monuments in cooperation with citizens and local governments.