COVID Pandemic, Disaster Response, Information andCommunications Technology, and Social Capital

Kiyomine Terumoto
Steering Committee of the Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization,
Regrowth and Governance
Professor, School of Architecture,
Kwansei Gakuin University

Online meetings are the epitome of the use of information and communications technology(ICT), which has been promoted by society and economic activities in general during theCOVID pandemic. Many lectures are also provided online in university education, and thevarious educational methods used online are being accumulated as the technology used tosupport them has advanced continuously throughout this period. Simultaneously, however,there are limitations to online education, and there are many exercises that are not effective
unless conducted face-to-face.
Regarding disaster measures, the ideal way of supporting areas affected by a disaster using
ICT has been examined, even before the response to the novel coronavirus. For example, theuse of ICT increases the likelihood that disaster response agencies can efficiently understandthe resources needed for affected areas and transport them at the appropriate time. It isincreasingly important to create effective responses by utilizing a variety of tools to natural
disasters that are expected to occur frequently in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to© 2021 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University

strengthen the practicability of support responses utilizing ICT.
However, problems that cannot be addressed by ICT alone also occur frequently during
disasters. For example, there are many cases in which injured people were transported
through cooperation between the residents of affected areas because support requests could
not be made from those affected areas. This is a problem that cannot be addressed simply bycollecting and communicating information. In other instances, elderly people were still livingwith their household items in disarray because they were unable to ask for help while otherhouses were being restored owing to the efforts of volunteers. This is attributed to theinaccessibility of information related to support and the inability of victims to reach out forsupport. It is also a problem that has arisen in the current COVID pandemic.
Given the current problems and limitations, there is much to expect from local social capitalto solve these issues. Social capital is broadly defined as social resources linked through trust,norms, and networks that facilitate cooperative activities in society. In disaster response, there
are also many cases in which difficulties have been overcome not only through support
activities from outside disaster-struck areas, but also through cooperative relationships within
disaster-struck areas and cooperation between neighboring districts. Therefore, local social
capital can help reduce the impact of a disaster.
It is important to more deeply consider what is possible and impossible to respond to using
ICT, and what can be solved through the cooperation between inhabitants, districts, anddisaster response organizations to prevent or minimize the extent of a disaster. Effective useof ICT and social capital will lead to multidisciplinary and structured measures. To do so, it isnecessary to establish a mechanism that allows for collaboration between organizations andregions, as well as to engage in training by collaborating with local residents andadministrations. Such efforts will also lead to smooth reconstruction of the affected region.
There are many common aspects between post-disaster situations and the COVIDpandemic. We believe that technology and knowledge gained from the pandemic should also
be applied to disaster responses.
July 2021© 2021 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University