SDendai
RRewsletter

NTowards a Disaster-Resilientand Environmentally-Friendly CityFebruary 2020 / Vol.8

From Sendai to the World,
for the Future

Sendai Symposium forDisaster Risk Reduction andthe Future Closing speakers

From Left to Right
Second-grade students from Miyagi Prefectural Sendaidaiichi High School:
Kaho Watanabe, Rinka Takahashi, Shunsuke Hata, Sayaka Shoji, Mitsuki Matsunaga
Sixth-grade student from Sendai Municipal Minami-yoshinari Elementary School: Yutaro Horiuchi

Our Future Vision of Sendai asa Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-Friendly City"We are five second-grade high school students and a sixth-grade
elementary school student living in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
Our city, Sendai, is one of the areas most seriously affected by the Great
East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.
In November 2019, three Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)-related eventswere held in Sendai: the World Bosai Forum where people working on
DRR in Japan and around the world got together; the Sendai Symposium
for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Future, which aimed to share with theworld the experiences of the citizens and the lessons learned from thedisaster, and pass them down to the next generation; and the Earthquake
Technology Expo Tohoku, which introduced cutting-edge technologies fordisaster management.
We attended these events and read out our essays and reviews of theevents and on Sendai City’s efforts towards achieving a Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-Friendly City in the closing speeches of theSendai Symposium for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Future. We weredeeply impressed as we learned through the events that people working
on DRR activities in Japan and around the world had gotten together inSendai to discuss the experiences and lessons learned from the Great
East Japan Earthquake, DRR and the Sendai Framework, and have been
making efforts to share with the world the views advocated at the events.

situation at the time of the earthquake.
At the Earthquake Technology Expo Tohoku, we were surprised to see
ever-evolving DRR technologies, such as a water creation technology
from air and non-perishable food which can be preserved longer thanever and enjoyed even when public utility services are suspended.
We took this opportunity to talk with our families about DRR, review ourDRR plans and confirm our refuges and evacuation methods again,referring to the local hazard maps. At these events, we saw young
people around the same age as us making efforts at DRR, which also
inspired us to take action on DRR. We will share this valuable experience with our friends and other people close to us and cooperate withas many people as possible in raising awareness of DRR.
Shortly after our participation in the events, the five of us who are highschool students made PR brochures to be distributed at our school.
Yutaro, who is an elementary school student, does not remember
anything about the Great East Japan Earthquake, as he was only three
years old at the time of the disaster. However, he became deeplyinterested in the importance of DRR through these events and various
other experiences. Since the number of natural hazards has been
increasing recently, he is interested also in environmental issues.

At the Sendai Symposium for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Future, wetoured various stakeholders’ exhibitions regarding DRR activities andparticipated in their workshops. The exhibitions and workshops were fullof enthusiasm for improving DRR around the world now and in the future
through the utilization of the experiences and lessons learned from theGreat East Japan Earthquake, and DRR activities and technologies.

We think that DRR activities are like flower seeds. Anyone can plant flower
seeds easily. Growing plants from the seeds with good care will lead toglorious blooming. The same is true of DRR activities. Fostering awarenessof DRR in everyday life will help us in the future, at a time when we areaffected by a disaster and facing hardship. The fruits of DRR activities willconsole us in deep sorrow and help us recover from painful situations.

At the World Bosai Forum, we watched a documentary video of tsunami
damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Through thevideo, we realized again the scale of tremendous damage and miserybrought about by the disaster, as we were too young to recognize theWith strong awareness of DRR, we will contribute to global and future
DRR as a member of the Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-Friendly City of Sendai, and make an appeal for more young people to participate in these activities."

Miyagi Prefectural Sendaidaiichi High School is designated as a Super Science High School (SSH),* and its curriculums include lectures on DRR
and a DRR Research Seminar. The closing speakers from this high school studied about disasters and DRR and deepened their understanding on
the topic. Sixth-grade elementary school student, Mr. Horiuchi, attended a citizen seminar of the Sendai Framework for DRR with his mother. Whenhe was a third-grade student, he participated in a workshop hosted by a newspaper to study about disasters and DRR.
* Super Science High School (SSH)
A Super Science High School (SSH) is a high school that provides advanced science education designated by the Ministry ofEducation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, with the aim of developing human resources who will play an internationalrole in the future in the field of science and technology. To this end, SSHs conduct various programs including classes based on
unique curriculums, collaboration with universities and research institutions, and special research with local characteristics.

City of Sendai

Sendai City's DRR Practices◀Tsunami evacuation tower mentioned
in the case study on "tsunami evacuation"

In 1978, the City of Sendai was struck by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake
off the Miyagi coast. Propelled by this experience, the City has carriedout various measures against natural hazards. When the Great East
Japan Earthquake hit the City in 2011, these measures had some effectin mitigating the damage from the earthquake. However, various issues
were revealed such as the necessity of additional measures to deal witha larger tsunami than expected and the vulnerability of large-scale andcentralized energy systems. Based on these lessons, it is promoting
initiatives to build a “Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-FriendlyCity,” aiming to make Sendai a resilient city that is fully prepared for
future disasters, the risks of climate change, and other threats.
On the foundation of the rich natural environment of Sendai—the City ofTrees—the city has established three key pillars of action: “CityPlanning” to improve the disaster resilience of infrastructure and energy
supplies; “Human Capacity Building” to facilitate DRR activities in local
communities; and “Passing Down Experiences and Lessons” to future
generations and to other countries and regions in the world.
As a "City Planning” effort, the city incorporated the concept of “BuildBack Better” in the restoration work of the Minami-Gamo Wastewater
Treatment Plant, making the facility better than before in preparation for
future disasters, rather than just restoring it to its former state. The City
has also strengthened countermeasures against tsunamis so that it canensure safety and security even when a once-in-several-centuries
tsunami takes place by combining (1) a multiple-defense system thatutilizes various facilities to prevent damage from a tsunami, (2) evacuation measures to help residents escape from a tsunami, and (3) relocation of households.

▲ Scene from an inclusive DRR-related event

both themselves and others when a disaster occurs.
Memories and experiences of the Great East Japan Earthquake fadeaway with time unless something is done. Therefore, by running memorial facilities in cooperation with local residents and organizations, andbuilding an archive of disaster-related materials including videos andphotographs, the City aims at “passing down experiences and lessons”
learned from disaster to future generations and to other countries andregions in the world.
The background, effects of, and budgets for these initiatives related tothe development of a “Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-FriendlyCity” will be posted on our website along with information associatedwith the priorities for action, and targets set by the Sendai Frameworkthen summarized by practice.
As the host city of the Third United Nations World Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction, at which the Sendai Framework was adopted,
the City of Sendai will contribute to promoting DRR in various countries
and regions around the world by sharing our disaster recovery efforts
and DRR activities.

Various examples of tangible and intangible measures are
introduced on the website.

For “Human Capacity Building,” the city is making efforts for enhancing
the DRR capacity of the local community, such as the formulation of anevacuation center operation manual that reflects the opinions of local
residents and a training program to develop Sendai City Community
Disaster Preparedness Leaders (SBL) aimed at invigorating voluntary
DRR organizations. In addition, it encourages the participation of multistakeholders in DRR activities through the development of women SBLs
and the promotion of Sendai’s DRR Education for children to cultivate
their ability to respond to disasters, thereby enabling them to think,decide and act for themselves, as well as take actions for the sake of●TOP

https://sendai-resilience.jp/en/●DRR Practicehttps://sendai-resilience.jp/
en/efforts/practice/

Sendai City Welcomes Observation Tours from Abroad
The City of Sendai welcomes trainees, government officers and other people involved in DRR from abroad tocommunicate its experience and lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake and DRR activities.
Personnel from the respective departments of the City offer educational explanations of its wide-ranging efforts,
including establishment of a multiple-defense system to save lives from tsunamis, DRR activities by local communities, and DRR education for the future generations.
The City also offers tours to observe inside a school building damaged by the tsunami and remnants of residence
foundations with on-site lectures on the destructive power and threat of tsunamis, and the change in the lives of
those affected by the disaster.
The City of Sendai can propose a tour route at your request according to the purpose of the training/observation.
Both individual and group tours are available.
Feel free to contact us by email to inquire about training/observation tours.

Disaster-Resilient and Environmentally-Friendly City Promotion Office

3 -7-1 Kokubuncho, Aoba- ku, Sendai 9 8 0 - 8 671, Japan
Tel:+81(0)2 2-214 - 8 0 9 8 E- mail: mac0 016 0 5@cit y.sendai.jp Website: ht tps://sendai-resilience.jp/en/City of Sendai▲ Visit to Minami-Gamo for training▲ Visit to Sendai 3/11 MemorialCommunity Center for training