Co-Constructing a Narrative of ‘Never Give Up’ in Preparing for a Mega-Tsunami: An Exemplar of ‘All-Of-Society Engagement’?

Kaori Kitagawa

doi:10.3390/geosciences9120486

Abstract

This paper discusses the ‘all-of-society engagement’ concept promoted in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015–2030, drawing on the case of Kuroshio Town, Kochi Prefecture in Japan. The framework does not offer a clear definition of ‘all-of-society engagement’. The paper suggests the case of Kuroshio Town could help us envisage what ‘all-of-society engagement’ might look like. The people in the town were shocked to receive the official revised prediction of a forthcoming mega earthquake and tsunami in March 2012, which suggested that the Nankai Trough Earthquake could reach the seismic intensity of seven, and the subsequent tsunami could be as high as 34.4 m in a certain part of Kuroshio Town. Pessimism spread, and an attitude of ‘giving up’ prevailed. Kuroshio Town Hall had to come up with a drastic measure to unite the whole town, which was to present a clear philosophy, rather than technical measures. The narrative of ‘never give up’ was thus constructed, which was gradually appreciated and shared by the residents of the town. The paper teases out this whole-town preparedness project with the use of the four priorities of actions in the Sendai Framework as an analytical tool. The analysis brings certain mechanisms deployed in the town to the fore, which enabled the co-construction of the narrative of ‘never give up’, contributing to motivating the residents to engage in preparedness activities.

Highlights

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ‘all-of-society engagement’ concept promoted in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015–2030 [1], drawing on the case of Kuroshio
Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters, the major shift in the Sendai Framework was the emphasis on disaster risk management as opposed to disaster management [3]
The scope of this paper is to focus on the former, at the local community level, to discuss ‘what has been done’ in achieving all-of-society engagement, rather than laying out the mechanism as to how it could be achieved through cross-level co-ordination

Summary

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ‘all-of-society engagement’ concept promoted in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015–2030 [1], drawing on the case of KuroshioTown, Kochi Prefecture in Japan. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ‘all-of-society engagement’ concept promoted in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015–2030 [1], drawing on the case of Kuroshio. The Asian continent, for example, has experienced hazards of all types in the past 20 years. For geophysical disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, Asia accounts for the majority of all recorded impacts. This includes 85% of all affected people and 78% of reported economic damage, as well as 62% of all occurrences and 69% of deaths [5]. In Japan, the Geosciences 2019, 9, 486; doi:10.3390/geosciences9120486 www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences

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