The impact of disaster education on public preparation and mitigation for earthquakes: a cross-country comparison between Fukui, Japan and the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA

Abstract

Whether individuals do, or do not prepare and mitigate for future earthquake occurrences is significantly affected by the degree to which they engage in public education activities about the earthquake hazard. This study is guided by the following questions in Fukui, Japan, and the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA: what types of education are the most suitable for people to undertake proper activities to get ready for future earthquakes? How does disaster education enhance people's readiness? Is disaster education possible to motivate people to undertake specific activities? And, do cultural differences indicate that different ways of disaster education are necessary to be undertaken for the public? This study defines a new index of overall readiness to estimate the degree to which an individual's readiness for earthquakes is sufficient and appropriate. The index enables a cross-country comparison of data from questionnaire surveys conducted in both seismic areas. American respondents show relatively good readiness in terms of goods, whereas, in Fukui, the readiness of residences, social activities and educational sources is slightly higher. In both areas, respondents with disaster education are more ready than respondents without disaster education, but the enhancement is not so significant. Various educational sources for Fukui respondents and printed materials for American respondents are effective approaches. Awareness of disaster, knowledge about neighborhood, and past earthquake experience also function as educational information which contributes especially to the improvement in readiness regarding social activities and educational sources. Various types of disaster education should be readily available at accessible places to the public.