Maki Kato Presentation Disaster Management

Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK
for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response
CCOUC 災害與人道救援研究所
M Kato-MacDermot, EYY Chan, CKM Mark, KSD Liu, PY Lee, T Yung, and TKC Yung
Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical
Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary
Care I Faculty of Medicine, Hong Kong

2011 East Japan Earthquake
• 11 March 2011
Magnitude 9.0 earthquake
Tsunamis
Nuclear plant meltdown
Triple disaster
• Over 20,000 people died
- 92% of deaths from drowning
in the tsunami
Causes of Death in the East Japan Earthquake
(Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima Prefecture)
Data Source: National Police Agency

Impacts on Schools & School Children in 2011
• 7988 schools damaged
o Ibaragi 1290
o Miyagi 1032
o Fukushima 918
• Over 650 school children
died
o Miyagi 455
o Iwate 110
o Fukushima 87
(Data Source: MEXT)
Number of damaged schools in Prefectures
• The earthquake happened during school hours, making
evacuation a school responsibility

• Initiatives with various stakeholders
- e.g. national disaster day by national government
• Monthly evacuation drills
- Knowledge and awareness
- Practical skills for spontaneous decisions
• Standard Evacuation Guidelines
1) Children to go under their desks until an earthquake is over
2) Lead children to first evacuation point
3) Move to second evacuation point if needed, e.g. Tsunami.
- Variations due to topology, building structure, risk perception
School Disaster Evacuation Plans & Management in Japan

Rationale of Study
Japanese schools appeared to have high level of
school resilience and preparedness, but
mortalities varied between schools.
Why did some schools have more deaths than
others?

Aim
Identify key factors that were associated with
lower mortality.
- help build higher resilience in schools
- show examples to other communities
- make policy recommendations

Methods
Design: Retrospective comparative case study
Cases: Three government-run elementary schools (age 6-12) from the most
affected areas in Miyagi prefecture.
1. Arahama School
2. Togura School
3. Ookawa school
Japan
Location of 3 Schools in Miyagi

Methods
Health Outcome
- Death rate, i.e. lower mortality = +ve health outcome
Literature Search
- English and Japanese literature
peer-viewed articles
grey literature
- Published Mar 2011 - April 2015
- Key word search in Japanese and English
e.g. ‘elementary school’ ‘deaths’ ‘evacuation’

Methods: Data Collection
• Qualitative data
Following the Guidelines for Reports on Health Crises and Critical Health Events
- Pre-event status & basic background info
e.g. distance from sea, building structure
- Critical health events
- Preparedness activities
e.g. drills, discussion, consultation
- Evacuation timeline & process
- Impact of the event = no. of deaths

Results: Literature Search
Selected Literature
- peer-viewed articles = 0
- grey literature
Government reports = 10 (national = 8, prefectural = 5)
Newspapers = 25 (Japanese = 23 / English = 2)
Reports from school principles = 1
Personal internet sources which included statements from survivors, parents,
and local residents = 14

Results: Evacuation Timeline
Case 1: Arahama Case 2: Togura Case 3: Ookawa
14:46 Earthquake Earthquake Earthquake
14:49-50 Tsunami Alert Tsunami Alert 6 meter Tsunami Alert
14:49-50 Principle announced to
evacuate to 4th floor
All students in the
school ground
All students in the school
ground
Teachers were discussing
where to evacuate. Some
parents came to pick up
their children.
15:00 320 people including
school children (4th
floor), local residents
(3rd floor) completed
evacuation
By 15:00, 107 students
were evacuated to
Utsuno Hill (400 meters
from the school)
15:25 Reassessed the
situation by seeing
raising water level and
decided to evacuate to
the higher point next to
the hill.
10 meter Tsunami alert
Teachers decided to
evacuate to higher area
near Oohashi bridge (200
meters from the school and
as high as the river dykes
(6-7 meters).
15:30-35 Tsunami Tsunami Tsunami

1: Arahama 2: Togura 3: Ookawa
Number of Deaths
(total no of students)
0 (91) 0 (107) Students: 74 (104)
Teachers: 10 (11)
Distance From
the Sea
750 meters 300 meters 4 Kilometer
Height of Tsunami 4.6 m 23 meters Over 10 meters
Building Construction 4-story steel-framed with
reinforced concrete building
Accessible rooftop
3 story steel-framed with
reinforced concrete
no access to roof top
2 story steel-framed with reinforced
concrete (10 m high)
no access to roof top
Information
Availability
Continuous Tsunami Alert continuous & updated information
through a radio
14:55 6m Tsunami Alert
15:15 10m Tsunami Alert
Drills Monthly for school children
Annually with local people
Regular drills + frequent teachers
discussion
Regular drills
Clear evacuation plan Yes Yes No
Evacuation Points 3rd, 4th Floor & Roof top Hill 400 m from school Higher area (6-7 m high) by bridge
Time Took to
Evacuation point
5-10 mins 1st point 15 mins
2nd point 5 mins
40-50 minutes
Hazard Map Included as Tsunami hazard
area
Included for Typhoon and flooding
but not for Tsunami
not included as Tsunami hazard
area
Geological Contexts No mountains/hills/tall
buildings around the area
Very close to the sea, Dykes by the river (6-7 meter high),
surrounded by mountains
Tsunami History Yes Yes No
Results: Summary of Extracted Data

Coded Data from School Scenarios 5 Key Factors for Lower
Mortality
- Included in hazard map
- Sea front
- Experience of tsunami
- Drills simulating different situations, i.e. all-hazard approach
- Ability to adapt a standard plan to school specific plan
High Risk Perception
Drills
- Difference in time required for evacuation process
- Teachers aware of their roles in emergency
Availability of Clear Plan
In Advance
- Simulating all angles & modifying plans to fit environment
- High disaster knowledge and preparedness
Ability to Modify Plans
- Local people trust school roles in emergency
- Fire fighters and local leaders leading evacuation
School Leadership &
Local Participation
- Schools built for tsunami
- 3 and 4 story steel-framed with reinforced concrete
- Access to rooftop
School Building
Construction
Results: Five Key Factors for Lower Mortality

Limitations
• Recall bias
• Small sample size
• ‘Not objective’
• Region and event specific

Discussion
Three key policy areas for better school resilience
1. Guidelines based on all-hazard approach
• Can be modified according to school contexts and relevant risks
• Multi-stakeholder approach to raise coordination, communication,
and collaboration
2. Regular drills/training
• School’s ability to adapt evacuation plans in different settings
• School leadership & active local participation
• High risk perception in children and teachers
3. School building infrastructure
• e.g. Disaster resilient structures

Conclusion
• Investigation of three earthquake and tsunami affected
schools in Japan
• Three key policy areas for improved school resilience
1. Developing a guideline based on all-hazard approach
2. Regular preparedness activities
3. Disaster resilient building structures
• Further studies
- Qualitative research with face-to-face interviews, e.g. teachers
- Region specific case studies to highlight local factors

Reference
Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC). 2014. Information on Disaster Risk Reduction of the Member Countries: Japan.
http://www.adrc.asia/nationinformation.php?NationCode=392 [Accessed on 04/09/2014]
Cabinet Office, Government Of Japan. 2011. Disaster Management in Japan. (Available in English & Japanese)
http://www.bousai.go.jp/1info/pdf/saigaipanf_e.pdf
Cabinet office, Japan. White Paper on Disaster Management 2011: Executive Summary.
http://www.bousai.go.jp/kaigirep/hakusho/pdf/WPDM2011_Summary.pdf
UNISDR. 2008. Disaster Prevention for Schools. Guidance for Education Sector Decision-Makers. Consultation version, November 2008
http://www.unisdr.org/files/7556_7344DPforSchoolssm1.pdf
麻生川敦 (南三陸町立戸倉小学校校長). 東日本大震災における戸倉小学校の避難について～児童の引き渡しが終了するまでの避難について～.
Asokawa, A. Report on the evacuation process at Tokura school during East Japan Earthquake.
http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/uploaded/attachment/12404.pdf
文部科学相. 2014. Chapter 2: 第２章津波災害が想定される地域における学校施設の在り方
Ministry of Education, culture, Sports, Science, ad technology (MEXT), Japan. 2014.
http://www.mext.go.jp/component/b_menu/shingi/toushin/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2014/03/07/1344865_4.pdf
文部科学相. 2014. 災害に強い学校施設のあり方について：津波対策及び避難所としての防災機能の強化. Ministry of Education, culture, Sports, Science, ad technology (MEXT), Japan. 2014.
被災地はいま……現地取材・仙台市若林区荒浜 (Japanese). What is happening in the affected areas now.
http://www016.upp.so-net.ne.jp/bosai-plus/images/bosaiplus_020_2_3.pdf.pdf
中央公論. なぜ大川小学校だけが大惨事となったのか (Japanese). Why did the Tragedy happen at Okawa School?
http://www.chuokoron.jp/2011/07/post_87_2.html
大川小学校事故検証報告書 (Japanese). Report on Okawa School.
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo5/012/gijiroku/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2014/08/07/1350542_01.pdf
大川小学校を襲った津波の悲劇
http://memory.ever.jp/tsunami/higeki_okawa.html
Ministry of Education, culture, Sports, Science, ad technology (MEXT), Japan. 2014. How to build resilience for regions for high risk of Tsunami.
文部科学相. 2014. 第１部：津波被害が想定される地域における学校施設のあり方について
Tsuj, Y. 2013. Case studies: Learning from experience from East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. 都司嘉宣. 東日本大震災津波の際の明暗を分けた避難事例から学ぶこと。Conference Power
Point presentation. 防災研究所講演.
file:///Users/fergusmacdermot/Desktop/Research%20Methodology/%E5%A4%A7%E5%B7%9D%E5%B0%8F%E5%AD%A6%E6%A0%A1.pdf

Thank you for listening!

Questions?

Discussion: Policy Recommendations
These key findings identified in this study may help increase school
resilience to natural disasters in future.
1. Designing and implementing evacuation plans based on all-
hazards approach which can be modified according to the school
contexts and types of natural hazard.
2. Encouraging regular drills and education activities to provide
practical skills and to raise disaster risk perception, which enable
people to make spontaneous decisions and actions.
3. Based on Multi-stakeholder approach for developing plans and
conducting drills, to improve coordination, communication and
collaboration.
4. Region specific case studies will be useful to highlight local specific
disaster risk factors.

Global Overview
• Earthquakes and tsunamis
- Caused more deaths than any other disasters
- 55% of the disaster deaths (2004-2013)
• Building resilient communities
- Hyogo Framework 2005-2015
- Sendai Framework 2015-2030
• Global initiatives for DRR
- Disaster proof public facilities
e.g. schools and hospitals
• What do we know about it?
UNISDR 2015

Japan
• Disaster prone geography
- in the Circum-Pacific belt
• Long history of earthquakes &
tsunami
• Experienced loss of people and
assets
• Great efforts in disaster risk
management for vulnerability
reduction

Maki Kato Presentation Disaster Management

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (8)

Similar to Maki Kato Presentation Disaster Management

Similar to Maki Kato Presentation Disaster Management (20)

Maki Kato Presentation Disaster Management

Editor's Notes