Trends of Measures in Disaster Recovery Plans: Focusing on the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake

Abstract

In Japan, many recovery plans were instituted after big disasters such as the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. This study focuses on recent big disasters in Japan, namely the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, and clarifies the trends of the measures mentioned in the recovery plans of damaged municipalities according to their local characteristics (locations and population trends). In order to show the trends, the Genre Mention Rate (GMR) and the Measure Mention Rate (MMR) are calculated, which depict the mention rate – the importance that certain genres or measures have. In the municipalities damaged by the tsunami caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the GMRs of community, infrastructure, and culture are high in rural areas. There is not much difference in terms of population trends. In those damaged by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the GMRs of lifestyle and industry are high in rural areas, while the GMRs of community and disaster mitigation are low in urban areas. The GMRs of disaster mitigation and community are also high in areas with increasing populations. In the municipalities damaged by the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, the GMRs are generally high in urban areas, and low in areas with decreasing populations. In this way, depending on the type of disaster and local characteristics of the affected areas, there are many differences in the trends of the measures needed for recovery.