5:15 PM - 7:15 PM
[MZZ45-P02] Practice of Disaster Prevention Education in the Mt. Kurikoma Area Geopark
Keywords:Geopark, Mt. Kurikoma Area Geopark, Disaster Prevention Education, Natural Disaster
In Kurihara City, located in the northwestern part of Miyagi Prefecture, the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake that occurred on June 14, 2008 caused more than 3,500 mountain disasters at the foot of the mountains, and the traces and remains of these disasters are still visible today. Kurihara City is also a flood-prone area, with reports of overflowing rivers and flood disaster caused by typhoons and heavy rains. The Mt. Kurikoma Area Geopark proposes some disaster prevention education programs for learning natural disasters and disaster prevention, using the disaster sites and information of past natural disasters that occurred in Kurihara City. This paper describes 3 programs that have been put into practice through 2024.
Program 1 “Let’s Learn about the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake”
In this program, participants will learn about the damage caused by the earthquake in the inland area and the mechanism of the phenomena through a visit to the site of the collapse caused by the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake and the Visitor Center exhibition. The number of implementations in 2024 is 17. Vegetation has gradually invaded the land since the disaster, but the landslide terrain itself and the road that was cut off still remain, and are being used as a field for learning damage and disaster prevention caused by the earthquake. In addition, experiments with the landslide simulation device “Eureo” and observation of rocks that compose the landslide site are conducted to deepen understanding of the phenomenon of landslides. For high school students and older, we also offer a program that guides visitors inside terrain of the Aratozawa Landslide site to experience the appearance and scale of the landslide.
Program 2 “The Function of Rivers and Flood Disaster in Kurihara”
In this program, visitors will think about how rivers work, how landforms are formed, and flood disaster through a tour of the Visitor Center’s exhibits and experiments with the “Emriver geomodel”, a hydraulic experiment device. The number of implementations in 2024 is 4. The program is mainly linked to the 5th grade elementary school science unit, “How Flowing Water Works”, and sometimes actually go to visit rivers. We are also trying to raise awareness of flood disaster that may occur in our daily lives through flood disaster simulation experiments with the Emriver geomodel. Teachers at the schools where the program was conducted received favorable response as it covered most of the content of the unit.
Program 3 “Let’s Think about Natural Disasters and Disaster Prevention in Kurihara”
In this program, through the provision of information on past natural disasters in Kurihara City and group work with hazard maps, participants will learn about local disaster risks and consider how to act in preparation for contingencies. The number of implementations in 2024 is 4. Kurihara City distributed a “Kurihara City Disaster Prevention Map” to all families in the city in 2022, but few children and students have checked the map. Then, we started this program with the aim of identifying the characteristics of one’s own neighborhood on a map and understanding what kind of risks are present. It is hoped that this study will lead to the topic of disaster prevention being discussed in each household, and raise awareness of disaster prevention.
Program 1 “Let’s Learn about the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake”
In this program, participants will learn about the damage caused by the earthquake in the inland area and the mechanism of the phenomena through a visit to the site of the collapse caused by the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake and the Visitor Center exhibition. The number of implementations in 2024 is 17. Vegetation has gradually invaded the land since the disaster, but the landslide terrain itself and the road that was cut off still remain, and are being used as a field for learning damage and disaster prevention caused by the earthquake. In addition, experiments with the landslide simulation device “Eureo” and observation of rocks that compose the landslide site are conducted to deepen understanding of the phenomenon of landslides. For high school students and older, we also offer a program that guides visitors inside terrain of the Aratozawa Landslide site to experience the appearance and scale of the landslide.
Program 2 “The Function of Rivers and Flood Disaster in Kurihara”
In this program, visitors will think about how rivers work, how landforms are formed, and flood disaster through a tour of the Visitor Center’s exhibits and experiments with the “Emriver geomodel”, a hydraulic experiment device. The number of implementations in 2024 is 4. The program is mainly linked to the 5th grade elementary school science unit, “How Flowing Water Works”, and sometimes actually go to visit rivers. We are also trying to raise awareness of flood disaster that may occur in our daily lives through flood disaster simulation experiments with the Emriver geomodel. Teachers at the schools where the program was conducted received favorable response as it covered most of the content of the unit.
Program 3 “Let’s Think about Natural Disasters and Disaster Prevention in Kurihara”
In this program, through the provision of information on past natural disasters in Kurihara City and group work with hazard maps, participants will learn about local disaster risks and consider how to act in preparation for contingencies. The number of implementations in 2024 is 4. Kurihara City distributed a “Kurihara City Disaster Prevention Map” to all families in the city in 2022, but few children and students have checked the map. Then, we started this program with the aim of identifying the characteristics of one’s own neighborhood on a map and understanding what kind of risks are present. It is hoped that this study will lead to the topic of disaster prevention being discussed in each household, and raise awareness of disaster prevention.