Search

This study uses the Social–Ecological–Technological Systems (SETS) framework to examine the urban disaster management strategies of Toyama City, Japan. The recent seismic shocks on the Noto Peninsula highlight the importance of implementing efficient disaster management. Toyama City has incorporated the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals into its statutory planning frameworks and urban management policies. This synthesis promotes a cooperative approach to disaster resilience while effectively managing challenging limitations. However, we investigate how Toyama City's policy may be improved using policy direction evaluation and SETS allomorph coding. This extensive allomorph analysis of the city's urban planning and disaster management documents shows a dominant focus on social and technical elements, including emergency preparedness, policy, economic criteria, and infrastructure. Nevertheless, the results reveal a significant deficiency in ecological considerations, indicating an asymmetry in the existing policy framework. Our study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive disaster management strategy that considers social, technological, and ecological variables to improve the city's ability to support sustainable development and socio-hydrological challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While pre-disaster risk reduction, preparedness, and mitigation measures are important, disaster events often provide a window to development. They can allow learning from the response efforts, impacts, and recovery processes, which can improve overall development resilience and guide future risk-informed education programmes. This study offers an approach for future directions of risk-informed education based on the lessons from the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011 and the recent 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. The approach is based on direct field observations, interviews, and case studies. Ten key lessons are presented as the future direction of risk-informed education for the disasters caused by natural hazards. This study aimed to help policymakers, educators, and practitioners improve community resilience and guide the development of effective risk-informed education programmes by using the opportunities provided by disaster events. This article contributes to the continuing discussion about disaster risk reduction, resilience building, and sustainable development by highlighting the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the face of ever-changing risks and threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined whether pre-disaster Sense of Coherence (SOC) mitigated the impact of housing damage on health and well-being of older survivors after the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. A panel survey was conducted in a city located 80 km west of the epicenter seven months before and three years after the disaster (3594 respondents). Among respondents with lighter property damage, higher SOC was inversely associated with mental distress (coefficient − 0.29, 95% CI (confidence interval) − 0.39, − 0.19, p <.01), unhappiness (coefficient − 0.33, 95% CI − 0.43, − 0.23, p <.01), low expectation of mutual help (coefficient − 0.17, 95% CI − 0.27, − 0.07, p <.01), and weak community attachment (coefficient − 0.20, 95% CI − 0.30, − 0.11, p <.01). Conversely, among those who experienced housing loss, higher SOC was no longer protectively associated with health and well-being. Loss of generalized resistance resources due to serious damage led to difficulties in stress coping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Driven by the growing world population, aquaculture plays a key role in meeting the increasing demand for food. However, aquaculture facilities in Japan are widely installed in coastal waters where natural disasters, such as typhoons and tsunamis, might wash these facilities away, thereby interfering with maritime navigation safety. Therefore, it is imperative to efficiently monitor the state of aquaculture facilities daily, particularly after a disaster in real time. To this end, several new space-borne L-band synthetic aperture radars (SARs) continue to be launched now and in the future, whose utilizations are expected to increase nationally and internationally. An example is the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, currently operating a SAR that can be operated day and night, and even under cloudy conditions, called ALOS-2 PALSAR-2. Methods: Based on the above facts, this study evaluated the effect of the incidence angle of ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 HH single-polarization data, using 3 m spatial resolution, on aquaculture raft detection. As the study site, we selected Ago Bay, located on the Pacific coast of Mie Prefecture in central Japan since the Nankai Trough Megathrust Earthquake and tsunamis have been predicted to occur in the future around this area. Then, we analyzed the sigma zero (backscattering coefficient) of aquaculture rafts and their surrounding sea surfaces, including the relationships between satellite orbits and aquaculture raft directions. Results: Investigations revealed that the optimum incidence angle for detecting aquaculture rafts in this study was 33.8°-45.1°. Differences in the sigma zero values existed between the ascending and descending orbits. However, the incidence angles differed on the orbits. Then, differences in the median sigma zero values across a range of incidence angles were evaluated under the descending orbit. In addition, when the directions of the aquaculture rafts were closely perpendicular to the satellite orbit, aquaculture rafts tended to show the highest values of sigma zero due to Bragg resonance scattering. Hence, this knowledge may allow for the rapid detection of aquaculture rafts during an emergency without going on-site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan is a country committed to complying with the international agreement on mitigating greenhouse gases (GHGs) causing climate change. However, the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011 led the country had to modify the energy and environmental policy to global warming. The 15m of tsunami occurred from an underwater earthquake hit the east coast where the nuclear reactors were located. The coolant system failed and the radioactive materials were spread out into the atmosphere, ocean, and soil. The Japanese government investigated the level of contaminated materials (iodine, cesium, etc.) and reassessed the food safety regulations. Simultaneously, consumers' anxiety about the food system was increasing and their preferences for food consumption were affected by the food safety phenomenon that arose in connection with the nuclear accident after the natural disaster. Japanese consumers avoided agricultural and fish products originating from the land and sea, so the consumption per capita of fish decreased by 11.3% while the beef consumption increased by 13.7% between 2011 and 2020. As reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), meat and dairy products are accounted for around 16.5% of global GHGs emissions per year, and there are differences in the emission factors between beef (40.5 kgCO2e/kg) and fish (7.7 kgCO2e/kg). Per capita meat and fish consumption in Japan affected the GHGs emissions and the study employs the Synthetic Control Method (SCM) to estimate the impact of a change in dietary patterns on CO2 emissions from household food consumption. The outcome variable is CO2 emissions from household food consumption and the intervention period is between 1995 and 2019 (pre-intervention: 1995-2010; post-intervention: 2011-2019). Analyzing 32 countries, placebo studies, leave-one-out, and post-/pre-MSPE ratio are performed to make the statistical inferences. The results present that there is a meaningful relationship between the dietary patterns and the increase in CO2 emissions. Unlike the countries in the control group, Japan shows a significant increase in CO2 emissions from household food consumption after the natural disaster. However, the westernization of the diet can be another long-term factor affecting climate change. Therefore, future research can involve analyzing the impact of CO2 emissions from household food consumption in multiple treated countries with multiple interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earthquake which struck Eastern Japan in 2011 caused many casualties. The ratio of the mode of evacuation in areas damaged by the earthquake varied depending on geographical conditions, but cars were the primary mode in many areas. Although the Japanese government has provided guidelines to assist evacuation during a natural disaster, the disaster in 2011 demonstrated that the behavior of refugees did not adhere to these guidelines. This study analyzes refugees' behavior during evacuations using a dataset gathered through surveys of refugees in 2011. By analyzing their evacuation speed and distance based on their geographical conditions, the necessary distance and available distance for their evacuation are calculated in this study, following which an optimized distance for evacuation is derived. Analyzing various modes of evacuation, such as walking, bicycling, and car travel, this study identifies thresholds for an efficient mode of evacuation based on evacuation distance. In conclusion, this study finds that a walking-based evacuation plan is necessary in most areas, whereas vehicles are required in areas where it is impossible to evacuate by walking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 and it's massive tidal waves wreaked devastating damage on residences and communities along 400 km of the Pacific coast in Japan. Using the panel data from the Japanese Study of Aging and Retirement, we estimate the effects of this disaster on individual health, finding a significant negative impact on the health of those in the area. In addition, we exploit a discontinuous decrease in copayments for medical care at the age of 70 years and find that the reduction in copayment increased medical and long-term care utilization and significantly reduced health deterioration after the earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational studies have found that the frequency of mobile communication with close ties increases in times of emergency. However, the mechanisms underlying such increases are not well understood. Drawing upon terror management theory, this study predicted that increased mortality salience due to disaster promotes mobile voice calling to close ties. By analyzing digitally traced behavioral data, Study 1 found that mobile voice calls to close ties increased after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, especially in areas where there were severe tremors. Study 2 employed a field experiment and demonstrated that psychologically priming respondents to recall the earthquake led to an increase in the number of outgoing mobile voice calls to close ties, but not to non-close ties. The theoretical implications for mobile communication in time of disaster are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tsunamis with amplitudes of up to 40 cm, related to the Mw 7.1 normal‐faulting earthquake off Fukushima, Japan, on November 21, 2016, were clearly recorded by a new offshore wide and dense ocean‐bottom pressure gauge network, S‐net, with high azimuthal coverage located closer to the focal area. We processed the S‐net data and found some stations included the tsunami‐irrelevant drift and step signals. We analyzed the S‐net data to infer the tsunami source distribution. A subsidence region with a narrow spatial extent (∼40 km) and a large peak (∼200 cm) was obtained. The other near‐coastal waveforms not used for the inversion analysis were also reproduced very well. Our fault model suggests the maximum stress drop across the fault plane of >∼10 MPa and the average of 4.2 MPa, whereas the shear stress increase along the fault caused by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake was only ∼2 MPa. Past studies have suggested that horizontal compressional stress around this region switched to horizontal extensional stress after the Tohoku earthquake due to its stress perturbation. The present result, however, suggests that the horizontal extensional stress was locally predominant at the shallowest surface around the focal area even before 2011. The present study demonstrates that the S‐net high‐azimuthal‐coverage pressure data provide a significant constraint on the fault modeling, which enables us to discuss the stress regime within the overriding plate at the offshore. Our analysis provides an implication for crustal stress states, which is important for understanding generation mechanisms of intraplate earthquakes. Plain Language Summary: On November 21, 2016 (UTC), a large earthquake occurred within the continental plate off Fukushima, Japan, and a new seafloor tsunami network, S‐net, recorded its tsunamis with much higher azimuthal coverage and with shorter epicentral distance than any of the previous networks. We analyzed the S‐net data to reveal the rupture process of this earthquake. Our result explained all of the S‐net data and the other tsunami network data very well. According to past studies, the continental plate in northeastern Japan was under horizontal compression before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake due to the pushing force by the subducting oceanic plate. However, our rupture modeling result suggested that the plate around the earthquake rupture area was horizontally stretched even before the Tohoku earthquake, so that the off‐Fukushima earthquake occurred. Our study demonstrated that the S‐net, which has high spatial coverage, makes it possible to reveal the rupture model of offshore earthquakes, which was difficult in the past before S‐net became available. The S‐net will also enable us to discuss the impact of the Tohoku earthquake on the crustal stress, which is necessary for understanding the earthquake generation mechanics. Key Points: Tsunamis due to the 2016 off‐Fukushima shallow normal‐faulting earthquake were observed by the S‐net wide and dense pressure gauge networkUse of the near field and the high‐coverage array significantly improved the constraint of the fault modeling of the 2016 earthquakeHorizontal extensional stress predominant even before the 2011 Tohoku earthquake should be the main cause of the earthquake and tsunami [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The risks of NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) or CBRNE (R: radiological, E: explosive) hazards are rapidly increasing even in civilian areas, as well as those of natural disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.). Therefore, one of the most important and emergent issues for medical staff, especially for general surgeons is the necessity of skills to deal with various mega- or major disasters to help people as well as, protecting themselves. This has been a point of emphasis since 2005, when the Disaster Medicine Compendium was published and continues to be updated today. Method: The research focuses on NBC/CBRNE hazards: Pandemics such as COVID-19, Monkeypox, influenza, the Tokyo Subway Sarin Incident, and the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake, followed by Fukushima Plant Incident, Chernobyl, earthquakes with tsunami, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. Results: The skills that should be accustomed to are protection, prevention, diminution of toxicity, decontamination, as well as routine medical/surgical treatments. The relevant education is varied and not easily performed. For example, it was found that Japan DMAT or disaster medical assistant teams struggled with a lack of techniques to deal with the nuclear plant hazard during the above-mentioned Fukushima plant accident. Conclusion: In the event of hazards including NBC/CBRNE, surgical skills are necessary. However, medical teams require training in advance. Surgical methods and other skills, intensive care, and examinations performed wearing PPE or personal protection equipment is important, as well as the safety and security of the medical teams, in addition, to supporting the vulnerable/weak victims, ensured using an Incident Command System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• International comparisons of disasters and disaster management provide a way of acquiring first-hand knowledge of low-probability/high-impact disasters. • Japan has long been considered the 'gold standard' for earthquake and tsunami preparation. • There are important lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011 for British Columbia, which is vulnerable to a catastrophic magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami from the rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone fault. • Practical lessons include seismic building retrofits, vertical evacuation structures and modular temporary housing. In this paper I consider how international experience in the management of catastrophic natural disasters might be transferable across jurisdictions by comparing two study areas, the Tōhoku coastal region of northeast Japan, and the coastal area of southwest British Columbia (BC), Canada. I present a conceptual framework recognizing that good practice from one jurisdiction can be useful in improving disaster management planning in another. This framework also underscores that disaster management experience from overseas should be interpreted carefully, taking into account national and local conditions. Empirically, I re-examine the 2011 Great Japan Earthquake and the stricken Tōhoku region at the time of its tenth anniversary to see what lessons might be learned for disaster planning in southwest BC. Both study areas face exposure to hazards involving low probability/high impact mega-earthquakes and tsunami, and both have taken steps to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities and infrastructure. In the case of the BC southwest coast this region is vulnerable to both a catastrophic magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami resulting from the rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ). When compared to Japan, however, BC lacks a history of major seismic events close to population centers and has little direct experience of planning for large earthquakes and tsunami events along its coastline. To help discern which particular features of Japan's planning for (and response to) the Great East Japan Earthquake might yield policy implications for BC, I use the four pillars of disaster management as analytical tools: (1) the mitigation of risk, (2) disaster preparedness, (3) the emergency response, and (4) post-disaster recovery. The study methodology involved extensive site visits to both the Tōhoku region of Japan and southwest BC, face-to-face interviews with disaster managers and first responders, a review of relevant policy documents and reports of the Great East Japan Earthquake, together with a review of current disaster management practice in BC. The results revealed interesting comparisons between the two jurisdictions, signaling that the Japanese system had moved to a 'culture of preparedness', whereas the BC system was still being modernized to focus on proactive disaster planning. There are many policy suggestions from the Japanese experience in 2011 that deserve consideration for adapting into BC earthquake and tsunami planning. These include the urgency of seismic retrofitting programs, the adoption of a pro-active approaches to triggering emergency recovery operations, advance coordination with construction companies to assist relief and recovery as well as advance planning for large-scale temporary housing programs. The challenges and policy missteps experienced in Japan's planning and response operations at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake are also noted, such as an overreliance on sea walls to prevention tsunami inundation, together with deficient escape plans in some local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]