Activities

On a field trip for “Risk Management Ⅱ” course, I visited “Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution” located at Kobe. The “Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution” is a facility that works as a memorial of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.  The facility helps visitors gain knowledge about the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that struck Kobe in 1995 and enables them to learn how to react when an earthquake takes place. Below stated are two of the selected lessons I learned from the trip:

1. Social Cohesion is a Predeterminer of Reconstruction Pace and Quality:

Disaster doesn’t always strengthen social cohesion and mutual trust among the members of the affected society and people who come to help the victims. It depends on the pre-existing social cohesion and social culture of the affected area and its neighborhood. If the pre-existing social cohesion and mutual trust is strong, the reconstruction would be quick and sustainable. The people who come from outside of the affected area undoubtedly help the construction process. However, the main driver of the construction is the people who are affected by the disaster. Their social cohesion and mutual trust determine the pace and quality of the reconstruction. It should be noted that reconstruction encompasses both infrastructural and social dimensions. After the sudden strike of earthquake in Kobe in 1995, the affected people had to be rescued and relocated to temporary shelters.

Immediately after the earthquake, commoners of Kobe devoted themselves to rescue others. This might be a common scenario in other instances of disasters. However, the recovery and reconstruction process of the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake was remarkable and exemplary. As can be seen in the above pictures, despite huge loss of lives and resources, and an overflow of affected people in the shelters popularly called “Blue Sheet Towns”, the warm interaction among the affected people was the main source of motivation and energy to start working on the reconstruction. In some cases of reconstruction, many of the landowners made sacrifices in land readjustments and shop owners had to compromise as well. After the reconstruction through the abovementioned social process, “collective housing”, and practice of interactive lifestyles, Kobe was able to stand on its foot once again.

2. Individual Level Awareness and Responsibility Can Reduce the Loss during a Disaster:

During the great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, a considerable number of Kobe residents could save their lives thanks to their awareness and personal risk reduction measures. As can be seen from the photos below, some Kobe residents took risk reduction measures by keeping the torch, radio, helmet etc. with them. Some of them sent water bottles to the stuck people with messages while one Kobe resident contacted the Maritime forces which helped the rescue process significantly.