A Study on the Strategy for Responding to Large-Scale Complex Disasters

Abstract

Purpose: A large-scale complex disaster refers to a disaster that develops on a huge scale outside the predictable range as natural disasters and social disasters occur serially or simultaneously. The local community must take into account the diversity of residents' situations and organize an evacuation cooperation system in advance in order to respond to such large-scale, complex disasters. The purpose of this paper is to present a direction for improving community response to disasters through a review of large-scale complex disasters.
 Method: This study examines the large-scale flood damage evacuation plan in the 5th district of Koto, Tokyo, Japan, which established an evacuation plan led by the local community after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Evacuation was divided into vertical evacuation, evacuating within the community, and wide area evacuation, evacuating outside the community.
 Results: The main features of these evacuation plans were that they encouraged local residents to make independent judgements, to implement the plans, and to proactively request and prepare for administrative support for the parts that were insufficient.
 Conclusion: First of all, for efficient evacuation from large-scale-complex disasters, various stakeholders need to be recognized and systematically organize, and cooperation with relevant and upper-level administrative agencies is needed to solve problems that are beyond the capacity of local governments. It is also necessary for residents to recognize their own role in disaster response along with the proper implementation of disaster prevention administration, and for the administration to support factors that residents cannot do as much as possible, as the basic structure of the crisis.