Analysis of the Actions and Motivations of a Community during the 2017 Torrential Rains in Northern Kyushu, Japan

Atsuko Nonomura, Kazuhito Fujisawa, Mari Takahashi, Hideo Matsumoto and Shuichi Hasegawa
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Atsuko Nonomura: Faculty of Engineering and Design, Kagawa University, Takamatsu 7610396, Japan
Kazuhito Fujisawa: Institute of Education, Research and Regional Cooperation for Crisis Management Shikoku, Kagawa University, Takamatsu 7608521, Japan
Mari Takahashi: Institute of Education, Research and Regional Cooperation for Crisis Management Shikoku, Kagawa University, Takamatsu 7608521, Japan
Hideo Matsumoto: Institute of Education, Research and Regional Cooperation for Crisis Management Shikoku, Kagawa University, Takamatsu 7608521, Japan
Shuichi Hasegawa: Faculty of Engineering and Design, Kagawa University, Takamatsu 7610396, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: Damage caused by weather events has increased dramatically across the world in recent years. In the case of Japan, record-breaking rainfall has caused devastating damage almost every year since 2014; many people have been killed in these disasters. To better prepare for future heavy rainfalls, we need to discover how to prepare for disasters and mitigate damage by learning from examples in resilient communities. In 2017, torrential rains hit Toho Village in northern Kyushu, and the people as a whole responded well to avoid disastrous outcomes. We studied the actions and motivations of residents of Toho during this rainfall event by conducting semi-structured interviews in November 2017. The interviewees indicated that their motivation for evacuating was “personal observation of the danger” or “communication with neighbors”. Communication within the community was found to be an important factor that enabled the safe evacuation of community members, even without notice of the disaster risk and/or in the absence of timely information from the government because of a power outage. Knowledge of local landforms would be also helpful to reinforce appropriate actions and precautions needed during a disaster.

Keywords: flooding; evacuation; community; communication; local landforms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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