Progress of disaster mitigation against tropical cyclones and storm surges: a comparative study of Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study reviews the progress of disaster mitigation measures against tropical cyclones (TCs) in three Asian countries with different historical, social, and economic backgrounds: Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Japan. In Bangladesh, an average of 6,600 people was killed by a single TC in the 1960s, but this number had decreased to 30 in the 2010s; this reduction was due to a clear improvement in soft measures, such as weather forecasting, warning systems, and mass evacuation coordinated by volunteers. In Vietnam, several strong TCs have recently made landfall, leading to improvements in national disaster management. Although Vietnam's current disaster management budget is smaller than those of the two other countries, large-scale evacuation by local authorities is believed to have minimized casualties. In Japan, shortly after Typhoon Vera in 1959, a comprehensive law on disaster prevention was enacted, and coastal dikes were constructed nationwide, resulting in a considerable reduction in fatalities due to TCs. However, the disaster prevention facilities built in this period are now deteriorating, while Japan’s budget for disaster management is projected to be decreasing. The three countries have advanced their disaster preparedness in response to past TCs and storm surges, but new challenges have also arisen.