Storm Surge Awareness and Intended Evacuation in Low-Lying Areas of Tokyo City

Abstract

Japan is a country that is normally considered to be well protected against storm surges, with the population aware of the potential consequences of such events. However, the inundation caused by typhoon Jebi in 2018 at Osaka Bay has highlighted that there is a significant risk of flooding in many areas. In the present paper the authors conducted questionnaire surveys with the aim to gauge the level of storm surge awareness and intended evacuation behaviour of the population of low-lying areas of Tokyo City. The results indicate that respondents have a high awareness regarding storm surges, but lower actual knowledge about the risk in their area and the evacuation plan. Respondents who have higher risk awareness about storm surges often had participated in evacuation drills, and those who knew about the inundation map tend to indicate that they would perform long-distance evacuation. It was also found that respondents who are in their 30s have lower awareness than other age groups. Keywords: storm surge; awareness; natural hazards; Japan; intended evacuation behaviour