Disaster Prevention Workshop Thinking from the Perspective of Self-help

JEN hold a disaster prevention workshop thinking from the perspective of self-help with the cooperation of Marumori Machi Disaster Prevention Section, Tateyama town planning center, and student volunteers from Tohoku University on February 22, 2020. JEN invited Mr. Akihiro SHIBAYAMA, an associate professor of International Research Institute of Disaster Science in Tohoku University, as a speaker.

27 members of residents reflected on how they behave when Typhoon Hagibis hit and learned how to research disaster information, the timeline, and the hazard map. Each participant understood the dangerous spots by drawing lines from their houses to the evacuation center and considered safer way to evacuate through this workshop. Moreover, they learned how to use the evacuation planning by a time series in preparation for the disaster.

Participants received explanation with materials for the timeline and the hazard map.

They reflected the three days, before typhoon, the day typhoon hit, and after typhoon passed over by a time series.

They drew lines from their houses to the evacuation center.

In recent years, supporting people in need of help in the disaster situation is becoming a serious issue in Marumori-machi. Therefore, we asked opinions of people who have family members with handicaps about the necessity of making the evacuation center that people with handicaps can use at ease and the importance that the community residents support people who need a help.

In a question and answer session, a problem that residents could not evacuate even they attempted to go there because the evacuation center was located in the area which may be flooded at the early stage was mentioned. As the answer, the speaker explained that the evacuation center will be reconsidered and they can use the regional evacuation centers under the cooperation agreement among Kakuda-shi, Marumori-machi, Watari-cho, and Yamamoto-cho.

The participants discussed the way to verify the river water level.

Every participant reflected their own behavior and clarified some improvement and points in question.

They wrote the areas affected by Typhoon Hagibis in the map.

JEN will continue to support the residents to acquire knowledge of preparation for disaster through disaster prevention workshops.