According to the latest survey, at least 585 districts across Japan have been identified as “difficult-to-evacuate areas” where residents are at risk of being unable to escape from tsunamis in time. Approximately 233,000 residents are exposed to this danger. The main cause is the lack of nearby high ground or suitable evacuation buildings. The situation is particularly serious in the special reinforcement areas for Japan Trench and Chishima Trench earthquakes, where about 88,000 people reside in difficult-to-evacuate areas, and in the special reinforcement areas for Nankai Trough earthquakes, where about 87,000 people live in such areas.
Efforts to Resolve Difficult-to-Evacuate Areas
To resolve difficult-to-evacuate areas, a multi-faceted approach is necessary:
- Construction of Evacuation Towers: In areas without high ground, building tsunami evacuation towers is an effective measure. However, securing suitable locations and budget issues are often obstacles, making support from national and local governments essential.
- Improvement of Road Infrastructure: Expanding and elevating roads is crucial to enable evacuation by car. This increases the possibility of more people evacuating safely.
- Revision and Dissemination of Evacuation Plans: Local governments need to develop and regularly review tsunami evacuation plans. It’s also important to thoroughly inform residents and raise individual disaster awareness through evacuation drills and disaster education.
- Public-Private Collaborative Efforts: Comprehensive measures involving not just administration but also private companies and local communities are necessary. For example, using high-rise buildings as tsunami evacuation buildings and promoting disaster prevention investments by companies.
- Utilization of Technological Innovations: It’s important to maximize the use of technology, such as developing early warning systems using IoT and AI, and improving evacuation guidance efficiency.
Personal Preparedness
Tsunami countermeasures are not just the responsibility of governments and communities; individual-level preparedness is also crucial. Consider the following measures:
- Confirm Evacuation Sites and Routes: Check multiple routes from your home or workplace to the nearest evacuation site and actually walk them to visualize your actions in an emergency.
- Prepare an Emergency Kit: Prepare a bag with essentials like food, water, medicine, and flashlights, and keep it in an easily accessible place.
- Secure Information Sources: Ensure multiple means of obtaining information during disasters, such as portable radios, smartphone batteries, and disaster prevention apps.
- Confirm Family Contact Methods: Decide on methods to contact family members and meeting places in advance for smooth safety confirmation.
- Participate in Local Disaster Prevention Activities: Actively participate in local disaster drills and evacuation exercises to build cooperation with neighbors.
Looking to the Future
Realizing a world where no one dies from tsunamis is not an impossible goal. There are examples, like in Kochi Prefecture, where difficult-to-evacuate areas have been resolved through measures such as building evacuation towers. Each of us understanding the threat of tsunamis correctly, being prepared daily, and the entire community cooperating in advancing countermeasures will be the shortcut to achieving this goal.
Tsunamis are natural phenomena and cannot be completely prevented. However, it is possible to minimize their damage. With the spirit of “tsunami tendenko” (everyone for themselves in tsunami evacuation), we should be conscious of protecting our own lives while also looking out for those around us. Building such a society will be the first step towards a world where no one dies from tsunamis.
We have the responsibility to learn from past disasters and pass on a safer society to future generations. Now is the time to work together, both public and private sectors, to take action to protect as many lives as possible. Towards realizing a world where no one dies from tsunamis, let’s start with what each of us can do.
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