11:15 AM - 11:30 AM
[HDS10-08] Has community disaster reduction been improved after the Great East Japan Earthquake? : A case of Onagawa Town, Miyasgi Prefecture
Keywords:community based disaster risk reduction, disparity in disaster reconstruction, Tohoku earthquake
In the reconstruction policy after the Great East Japan Earthquake, large-scale relocation to higher ground was promoted with tsunami disaster prevention as the main objective. Now that the reconstruction project is complete, has disaster preparedness in the affected areas been strengthened? We attempt to examine this point using Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture, as a case study. Main points are as follows.
First, households were dissolved in the process of rebuilding houses on higher ground, and the ratio of small elderly households increased compared to pre-disaster levels. This trend is particularly pronounced in Onagawa, where a high percentage of residents were housed in public disaster housing. As a result, social isolation among the elderly is becoming a problem.
Second, while Onagawa, where the nuclear power plant is located, has a remarkably high level of crisis awareness regarding the nuclear accident, local disaster prevention activities have been remarkably stagnant. The discrepancy between local disaster prevention and nuclear disaster prevention can be detected.
Third, the relocation of the residential area to higher ground was planned in conjunction with the development of the original coastal site ("Build Back Better"). As a result, commercial facilities were concentrated in the central area and tourism development was realized, but the remote peninsula area was left out of the development zone, widening the gap in living conditions within the town.
As described above, while the relocation of settlements to higher ground increased safety from tsunami disasters, it also had a negative impact on the community's disaster preparedness and local sustainability. The effects of disaster prevention should be evaluated as the net of these positive and negative impacts, and for this purpose, interdisciplinary research that relies on a collaboration in the humanities and sciences is indispensable.
First, households were dissolved in the process of rebuilding houses on higher ground, and the ratio of small elderly households increased compared to pre-disaster levels. This trend is particularly pronounced in Onagawa, where a high percentage of residents were housed in public disaster housing. As a result, social isolation among the elderly is becoming a problem.
Second, while Onagawa, where the nuclear power plant is located, has a remarkably high level of crisis awareness regarding the nuclear accident, local disaster prevention activities have been remarkably stagnant. The discrepancy between local disaster prevention and nuclear disaster prevention can be detected.
Third, the relocation of the residential area to higher ground was planned in conjunction with the development of the original coastal site ("Build Back Better"). As a result, commercial facilities were concentrated in the central area and tourism development was realized, but the remote peninsula area was left out of the development zone, widening the gap in living conditions within the town.
As described above, while the relocation of settlements to higher ground increased safety from tsunami disasters, it also had a negative impact on the community's disaster preparedness and local sustainability. The effects of disaster prevention should be evaluated as the net of these positive and negative impacts, and for this purpose, interdisciplinary research that relies on a collaboration in the humanities and sciences is indispensable.