Strengthening of Society's Flexible Disaster Prevention Capabilities

Abstract

Through the bitter experience of two giant earthquakes, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake, this paper aims to consider the mindset and measures which strengthen society's flexible disaster prevention capabilities, while moving forward in an approach which places emphasis on perfecting physical facilities for disaster prevention. To this end, the differences between the two earthquakes in terms of the state of the disaster and the resulting damage were categorized, in order to clarify the diversification of natural disasters as represented by earthquakes. Further, by analyzing useful scenarios and lessons passed on and learned from past disasters, fundamental elements were extracted on which to base disaster prevention capabilities. Such elements—human resources, wisdom and information—are regarded as a source for society's flexible disaster prevention capabilities. While regarding each element in detail, regional resources （human resources）, the gift of human creativity which empowers unlimited energy to devise disaster prevention/alleviation measures（wisdom）, and the tool to expedite one's judgment for quick and safe evacuation（information）, the author considered measures concerning how these elements strengthen society's flexible disaster prevention capabilities.