Kuniyoshi TakeuchiChair, IRDR-Japan

International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management under the auspices of UNESCO

(ICHARM)Public Works Research Institute (PWRI)

　 Tsukuba, Japan

UNISDR Global Platform 201111 May 2011

Science Meets Practice – How can Science contribute to Disaster Risk Reduction?

IRDR-Japan response to Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Oarai 23 Mar Iwaki 10 Apr

Iwaki 10 AprIwaki 10 Apr

Ishinomaki 18 AprIshinomaki 18 Apr

Nobiru18 AprShizunami 18 Apr

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Human damage by Yomiuri-shinbunData source: National Police Agency

Dead

Missing

Dead & Missing

Evacuated (NPA;up to 25 Mar by Asahi Shinbun)

Mar 15 570 000 20 334 854 25 248 092 31 172 064 Apr 5 163 008 10 151 115 15 138 212 20 133 454 25 130 904

May 10 117 085

Incl. evacuation from nuclear radiation

26,299

14,30011,999

Apr 24

24,829

14,949

9,880

May 10

Some discussions of FORIN study

9-14 %14-2121-3030-52

Population over 65 years old

Emergency mapping team, Kyoto U

Over 81

66-80

40-65

Female Male

  Japan National Committee for IRDR

What is ICSU-IRDR?

ICSU Science Plan for Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR)

in Japanese, 日本語

IRDR is a decade-long integrated research programme co-sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR). It is a global, multi-disciplinary approach to dealing with the challenges brought by natural disasters, mitigating their impacts, and improving related policy-making mechanisms.

Search by IRDR-Japan

l IRDR-Japan was Established in Nov 2009

l Comm meetings 4l Special meeting 1l Executive-comm 4l FORIN WG 2

Search by IRDR-Japan

Structure of IRDR-JapanMembers 25l Engineers 11l Natural sci 4

• (hydro-met 9, solid 6)

l Social/Humanity sci 9

l Health 1l Private 1l Administrators 3l Female 3

IRDR-Japan response to Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

l 25 March: Informal meeting• needs of forensic investigation of the GEJET and the princip

les of recovery. l 8 April: 4th IRDR-Japan Meeting

• Emergency help activities, information gathering for emergency management, rumors are serious in international community, grand design with resilience of the nation, economic efficiency, local people’s livelihood etc.

• The IRDR-J FORIN WG will focus on GEJETl 22 April: 1st FORIN WG of IRDR-J

• Results should be reported at IRDR 2011 in Beijing.l 27 April: 2nd FORIN WG

Other Disaster-related Committees in SCJ for policy reports

l 2010-2011: Special Task Force on the international cooperation on natural disaster reduction, SCJ

l 2009-2011: Subcommittee on water and sediment disasters by global environmental change, Committee on Civil Engineering and Architecture, SCJ

Reportsl June 26, 2008 　 Adaptation to Water-related Disasters Induc

ed by Global Environmental Changeby: Committee on Planet Earth Science and Committee on Civil

Engineering and Architecture, SCJl May 30,2007 　 Policies for the Creation of a Safe and Secur

e Society in the light of Increasing Natural Disasters around the World (Proposals to the Japanese Government) by Special Task Force, SCJ

Basic Questionl What should be the balance between pre

vention by infrastructure and mitigation by emergency response?

l What change is necessary for CCA?• Objective: protection of people’s life, property

& livelihood, and nation’s economy & environment.

• Means: Structural & nonstructural means.• Science & technology, prediction & early warning,

land use regulation, institutional means, education, culture etc.

GEJET Shock l A concatenation of disasters from EQ to Tsu

nami & Nuclear. l A break of access network to resources prop

agating from local to nation & intern’l.l Unprecedented disaster in the world which pu

t us to rethink about how to live with nature. • Triple-loop learning, 1st coping, 2nd adapting,

3rd transforming• How to live with very rare/high consequence eve

nts (Black swan events)? How to avoid “false comfort”

l What happens if it occurred in Tokyo?l Nuclear meltdowns are human disasters. Who to

be blamed of? Introduce multidisciplinary management.

l Are earthquakes predictable?

Some lessons/reactionsl “Tsunami Tendenko” Everybody has to run away by itself

without caring even parents or children at Tsunami (1896 Meiji Sanriku)

• Tragedy in Sanrikutakada 13 community chiefs and many others lost lives by helping the elderly and handicapped

l “Tsunami 3m” was announced 3 minutes after the EQ and electricity went down. Corrections in 30’ and 45’ later never reached the people.

l Under estimate in hazard maps Evacuation centers were hit and many lives were lost. Over confidence in evacuation center. Limits in historical records based design. (>65 centers were hit)

l Neglecting Jogan Tsunami (869) AIST engineers appealed TEPCO to renew the basis for the Jogan Tsunami in 2009 but the voice was not taken up.