Abstract
This report aims to understand the contributions made by the study of “disaster geography” in disaster research from the perspectives of the Earth and local communities. Specifically, it uses the Great East Japan Earthquake as a case study. The results can be summarized in the following three points.
1) In terms of damage assessment, research primarily focuses on engineering fields such as architecture and civil engineering, earth sciences that study changes in land and oceans, and medical fields related to health and insurance. In emergency response, disciplines that study human relationships are involved in the formation and deployment of evacuation shelters, the distribution of relief supplies, and other areas.
2) In the affected areas, differences in responses were observed depending on the local economy. Here, research focused on fields such as fisheries economics, economic geography, and urban planning. Among these, the recovery of fishing industries less affected by tsunamis was the fastest.
3) Regional culture is often overlooked compared to the economy, but it plays a role in connecting people and is also related to residents' attitudes toward life.In the study area, the revival of performing arts in disaster-affected regions was delayed, but in adjacent regions with less damage, cultural activities progressed quickly after the disaster.
As described above, the Great East Japan Earthquake and its aftermath can be summarized from the perspective of disaster geography. Additionally, by comparing it with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake from a global perspective, we can understand the characteristics of this disaster and the approach to regional revitalization.
