A Study on Disaster Resilient Community Development after the Great East Japan Earthquake

Miwako Kitamura (Tohoku University IRIDeS)

Research background

The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJQ) in 2011 left many people homeless in several parts of the affected areas. Otsuchi Town is, broadly speaking, divided into two communities in terms of their commerce. This comparison study indicates the manner in which a shelter is organized is influenced by community structure. Moreover, women’s empowerment is positively reflected in community resilience in post-disaster revitalization planning.

Literature review

Different types of refugee centres with different management styles have been discussed in connection with the type of community organization for each area. These also describe the type of relationship that is desirable between the refugees and the external agencies that work in support of them. However, women’s empowerment in Otuchi is still insufficiently studied, especially in the seaside areas. We investigated the undervaluation of the women’s movement to organize a post-disaster refugee shelter using the interview techniques of ethnography.

Methodology

This study was conducted on the GEJQ using 2011 static data from the Japanese reconstruction government office. Additionally, we interviewed three key individuals who led the shelter during the GEJQ. Finally, we compare two differently oriented shelters, one of which is in the city and the other which is in a rural area.

We interviewed three key individuals who play a role in directing these shelters. The interviews were conducted face-to-face and with open-ended questions using the methods of ethnography.

Findings

We discovered that the presence of community-oriented institutions affect pre- and post-disaster community resilience. Additional findings indicate gender empowerment related to rehabilitation community planning. We discovered that women’s empowerment had a positive influence on post-disaster community resilience. Women supported the shelter in many ways, such as providing caring for vulnerable people and accomplishing most household-related chores.

Conclusions

Woman’s empowerment should take into account post-disaster sheltering and community resilience.