2nd International Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction
November 27~29, 2007

How Construct the Disaster Management Planin a Remote and Isolated Area Among Mountains?
(The Lessons Learned from the 2004 Mid-Niigata Prefecture Earthquake)
K. Tamura 1*, H. Hayashi 2 and R. Kimura 3
1

Research Center for Natural Hazards and Disaster Recovery, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
2Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
3. Disaster Management Office, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

Abstract

In Oct 2004 the mid-sized earthquake disaster hit the rural area of Niigata Prefecture inJapan, caused the damage of 34 casualties and over 340,000 damaged housings. The recovery
process has been proceeding in the impacted area, but there is the different pattern how
victims acknowledge the achievement of the recovery process based on the area where theylive. We conducted the random social surveys in the impacted area, and found that 50% of
the victims who live in the ground in the urban area believed ‘they thought they are notvictims any more’ after 24 months, while 35% of victims who live in the area of remote andisolated area did.
The disaster management plans in Japan were basically followed to the experiences learned
from the urban disaster, the 1995 Kobe Earthquake model. The Niigata Prefecture
government and local governments have been struggling with constructing recovery policies
applying to the remote and isolated areas among mountains hit by the Earthquake. The bigquestion about how they should have constructed the disaster management plan in those areas
before the disasters is arisen because policymakers are so much concerned about it that over
80% of the national land is categorized the areas of ‘a remote and isolated area among
mountains’ in Japan.
We conducted the interviewing survey on 34 key persons or leaders in communities in thoseareas to clarify the factors constructed the potentiality against the disasters. Several negative
factors were clarified: 1) disaster prone areas are increasing, 2) lack of the knowledge about
the expected disasters in the community is observed 3) possible community disaster*8050, Ikarashi-Nino-cho, Nishi-ku, Niigata-shi, 950-2181, JAPANresponders are dispersed over large areas, 4) possible bases of disaster management are losing,5) the power of mutual assistance is growing weaker.

Keyword:Disaster Management Plan, a Remote and Isolated Area Among Mountains,

1. Introduction
The society has a potential power of cope with disasters. Any society has a certain ability
to handle the emergency situations and restore the damaged society. The severity of thedamage is determined by the difference between the ability of the society and the intensity ofthe earthquake motion. The 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake is known by the disaster, which
stroke the big city. The 2004 Mid-Niigata Earthquake is known by one, which occurred in theremote and isolated area among mountains.

The impacted area of the Mid-Niigata

Earthquake has low population density, where 17 people were killed, while 6,437 people werekilled by the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. On the other hand agricultural and forest areas wereheavily damaged and huge mudslide occurred in the area at the time of Mid-Niigata
Earthquake. The 2004 Mid-Niigata Earthquake reminded us of the importance of those areas,
which play the great role of conserving national lands at high risk, and the danger of thoseareas, which are vulnerable to disasters.

2. Method of Survey
In order to realize sustainable development and conservation of the society we should
think how to ensure remote and isolated areas among mountains against possible risks. Thisresearch tried to clarify basic framework how to improve the ability of the areas preventing
disasters and recovering from damages. We chose three survey points from Niigata
Prefecture and found several key players from each point, who promote community activities
and restore vitality to the local areas. The procedures of the research are 1) conduct theinterviews with each key player, 2) summarize those interviews, 3) categorize the results ofthe summarization, 4) analyze the result of the research using SWOT analysis.

3. Survey Results
3.1 Subjects of InterviewsWe interviewed 43 key players in thecommunity in Niigata Prefecture but not
the impacted area of the 2004 MidNiigata Earthquake. We summarized thecontent of interviews and categorized theresults of the summarization and found
770 important subjects from thoseinterviews.

We also divided 770

subjects into 43 concepts in order toreview the whole picture of issues inremoteandisolatedareasamongstrategic

mountains (Table 1).

3.2 SWOT Analysis
SWOTAnalysis,

isaplanning

tooltoassess

Table 1 43 concepts of the interview results
CategoCategories
ry ID

123456
78
910
1112
13
14
15
16
17

the1819

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,

20and Threats. It involves specifying the21

objective of the business venture or

22

used

project and identifying the internal andexternal factors that are favorable andunfavorable to achieving that objective.
Using this method make it possible to2324
25
26
27
28
29

get a deep insight into issues orproblems in the organization. We use
this method to analyze the result of theinterviews in 43 concepts in order toclarify the internal and external factorsthat are favorable and unfavorable toachieving

thegoalofdisastermanagement. We are going to show themajor result of the SWOT analysis,
which is about the issue of “disaster

30
3132
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43

DisasterManagement
Snow Disaster
Agriculture
Community Ties
community
integration
Social Work
Service
Characteristics ofRegion
Dwellings
Transportation
Disaster Response
New Business2005 Heavy Snow
Temples
Fire Comapany
Industry
SettlementConstruction
Industry
General Overview
Mud Slides
Emotional
Attachment
Isolation
Japan Agricultural
Cooperatives
Roads
Schools
Tourism
Healthcare
Elderly Population
Successor
Local Social
WorkerConfirmation ofOne's Safety
DisasterAssistance
FloodsEarthquake
Mass Media
Community
Activities
Sewer System
Personal Data
NPO
Standard
Future Vision
Community Leaders
Fires
OthersSums

Frequen
ces%

65

8.4

57
45
43

7.4
5.8
5.6

15.8
21.7
27.3

40

5.2

32.5

38

4.9

37.4

36

4.7

42.1

30
27
27
27
27
24
24
23
20

3.9
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.5
3.1
3.1
3.0
2.6

46.0
49.553.0
56.5
60.0
63.1
66.2
69.2
71.8

19

2.5

74.3

16
16

2.1
2.1

76.4
78.4

15

1.9

80.4

15

1.9

82.3

14

1.8

84.2

14
13
13
10
9
9

1.8
1.7
1.7
1.3
1.2
1.2

86.0
87.7
89.4
90.6
91.8
93.0

7

0.9

93.9

6

0.8

94.7

6

0.8

95.5

6
5
4

0.8
0.6
0.5

96.2
96.9
97.4

4

0.5

97.9

3
3
22
2
2
11
770

0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.1
0.1
100.0

98.3
98.7
99.0
99.2
99.5
99.7
99.9
100.0

Accumulated %

HarmfulHelpfulInternal Origin

Hard to accept the individuals
who try to cooperate withoutsiders
Not permeate the concept ofBusiness Continuity
Management in the region

The power of community is
progressively weakening, so
human resources in the region are
carefully watched
Understand the necessity ofCreating the mechanism torealize the sustainable society
The region has the certain degreeof ability to prevent disasters

Decide by majority or investment
effect is common even in theregion
Weakness Strength

Threats

Opportunity

External Origin

The Mainstream Economics:
Utilizing Resource based on

Investment Effect

The problems about disastermanagement and community
development are sometimes verysimilar
Recognize that the problems ofremote and isolated areas
among mountains are ahead of
the whole society especially theproblems with aging

Figure 1 Result of the SWOT analysis

management” (Figure 1).

3.3 Way of Thinking about Disaster Management in the Remote and Isolated Areas
Among Mountains
3.3.1 “Strength: The region has the certain degree of ability to prevent disasters.”
Versus “Opportunity: The problems about disaster management and community
development are sometimes very similar”
The residents of the remote and isolated areas among mountains believe that the region has
the certain degree of ability to prevent disasters. The concrete content of the ability would befound in other 42 categories of the topics in the interviews; however, most of the interviewees
thought it is hard to clarify how to plan the effective disaster management. On the other hand
they thought that the problems about disaster management and community development aresometimes very similar. Nowadays protecting the environment of the region in order toconserve national land is caught people’s attention, so at the same time people are interested
in thinking about the disaster management in those rural areas. This trend keeps people tothink the necessity of the strategic planning in those areas.

3.3.2 ”Strength: Understand the necessity of creating the mechanism to realize thesustainable society” Versus “Weakness: Not permeate the concept of BusinessContinuity Management in the region”
The concentration of the population into urban areas for many years decrease the numbersof community leaders, who work for protecting the remote and isolated areas among
mountains, so in consequence many lands are already desolated.

Many authorities andcommunity leaders believe the necessity of creating the mechanism to realize the sustainable
society in the remote and isolated areas among mountains; however, community leaders haveno idea and knowledge of the basic idea about Business Continuity Management.

3.3.3 “Strength: The power of community is progressively weakening, so humanresources in the region are carefully watched” Versus “Weakness: Hard to accept theindividuals who try to cooperate with outsiders”
The numbers of human resources are decreasing in the remote and isolated areas amongmountains, so the ones, who work for the community staying in the region or coming from theoutside of the region, are caught the positive attention by the community members; however,the community member, who tries to cooperate with the people, who lives in the outside of
the community are underestimated by the community members because of the remnant fromold days of the exclusionary regionalism.

3.3.4 “Threat: The Mainstream Economics: Utilizing Resource based on Investment
Effect” Versus “Weakness: Decide by majority or investment effect is common even inthe region” Versus “Opportunity: Recognize that the problems of remote and isolatedareas among mountains are ahead of the whole society especially the problems withaging”
When the economics is getting slow in Japan, utilizing resource based on investment effectbecomes very common in the society. This idea create the hard situation around the region
because investing resources in the remote and isolated areas among mountains is generally
less effective than in the urban areas, however, even in the region this idea becomes themainstream and when people try to decide, people decide by majority or investment effect. If
the effective model of how to get good result on the investment in the rural areas is invented,
it would throw new light on the problems of the aging not only in the rural areas but also in
the urban areas.

4. Conclusion
This research clarified the elements constructing the basic framework in order to strengthen
the society against the disasters. The tasks ahead are creating the prototype of the disastermanagement plan in the remote and isolated areas among mountains, and provide clear-cut
guidelines governments to proceed the measures in those areas.
References (description) (12pt Times)
Menon, A. et al. (1999). "Antecedents and Consequences of Marketing Strategy Making". Journal ofMarketing 63: 18-40.