July 2020 Torrential Rain Disaster Damage Survey-- Limitations of the System
Yoko Saito
Senior Researcher and Associate Professor,
Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance,
Kwansei Gakuin University
After the COVID-19 declaration of a state of emergency was lifted in Hyogo Prefecture on
June 20, 2021, I visited Hitoyoshi city and Kuma district in Kumamoto Prefecture during thisperiod, which also coincided with the first anniversary of the July 2020 torrential rain disaster.
In the city, more empty lots that had been cleared of dismantled homes were becoming
noticeable. Simultaneously, there were many structures that were still in the same condition
as a year ago as they wait their turn to be dismantled using public funds. Yet the view of some
new houses nearby highlighted the disparities between those who could reconstruct theirhomes quickly and those who were still unsettled about their unforeseeable futures whileremaining in temporary housing.July2021
Hitoyoshi City has formulated a reconstruction plan and has been formulating a"reconstruction town development plan" by holding regional advisory meetings once or twicea month in areas that suffered particularly significant damage. With the aim of creating a
resident-led plan, I would like to focus on the future planning process and the implementationof the plan.
Nevertheless, I heard various anxieties and dissatisfactions regarding reconstruction as I
spoke with the victims of this disaster. One of them related their dissatisfaction with the firstaid repair system for housing.
The first aid repair system for housing is as follows.
[Standard]①Households affected by major semi-destruction or semi-destruction: within 595,000
yen②Households affected by quasi-semi-destruction: 300,000 yen or less© 2021 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University

[Subjects]
A. Residents of homes damaged in major, semi-destruction, or quasi-semi-destruction
who cannot repair their homes by themselves.
B. Residents of homes that are unlivable without work due to damage to an essential
part of the house for daily living.
C. Residents of homes that can be repaired to livability by first aid repair. ∗Residents

with total destruction are generally not subject to first aid repair, but they may beincluded if the home can be made livable by first aid repair. ∗If neither the owner
nor renter has the financial capacity to perform repairs of the rental property for theresident to secure a place to live, the damaged property can be repaired by first aid
repair with the consent of the owner.

(Source: Kumamoto Bar Association website.)▲Konose, Kuma district,
Kumamoto, where many empty
lots are becoming noticeable.

Houses affected by quasi-semi-destruction (partial destruction) were also included in thescope since typhoon no. 15 in 2019. Previously, residents could not relocate to temporary
housing if they had their homes repaired with first-aid repair.
However, rules were relaxed for the sake of housing security since the July 2020 torrential
rains pursuant to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications recommendations
related to government evaluation, monitoring, and support for the reconstruction of the livesof the affected people so that residents could live in temporary housing while waiting to havetheir homes fixed by first aid repair. One of the general criteria of the recommendations forfirst aid repair, namely completion within 1 month, was extended in special circumstances
because it was unrealistic. This extension was intended to avoid forcing disaster victims to"choose between temporary or first aid repair under post-disaster psychological stress."
Rules related to temporary housing were relaxed for this purpose; however, the period ofresidence in temporary housing has been limited to 6 months (excluding cases recognized© 2021 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University

to have unavoidable circumstances). First, as mentioned in the above recommendations, firstaid repairs are rarely completed in 1 month. In the case of Hitoyoshi city, the date ofoccupation of the earliest constructed temporary housing was August 22. Elderly people andothers with special needs were allowed to move into these homes with priority. Other
temporary housing developments were gradually occupied starting in September, and thelatest occupants moved in in December. In other words, 3 or 4 months had already passed
since the disaster, even for those who were able to move in in October and November.
Victims were only left with 3 or 4 more remaining months. (After consulting with thegovernment, residents were allowed to live in temporary housing for 8 months, until the endof March.) Moving into post-disaster public-funded rental accommodation was also anoption when no construction-type temporary housing was available. However, although it
may be possible to repair some partial destruction, it is unlikely that a 595,000 yen subsidy
would cover all the costs of repairing homes devastated by major semi-destruction or semidestruction. Repairs of only a limited number of areas can be afforded by the subsidy; thus,
all additional repairs would have to be paid at their own expense. That is, victims who receive
the subsidy are required to complete the repairs in the period, and must be able to afford theincreasing worker costs for the costs of large-scale repairs. Many victims said that they gave
up on receiving the 595,000 yen subsidy to keep living in temporary housing. Another victim
explained that he wished to stay in temporary housing for a while because of health problems,
but had to leave in 6 months. It would be ideal for individuals to be able to make the best
housing-related decision for their circumstances, and the current 6 months (8 months in thepresent case) is too short to allow victims to make well thought-out decisions about theirown homes. The survey thus revealed many limitations of the system.
July 2021© 2021 Institute of Disaster Area Revitalization, Regrowth and Governance, Kwansei Gakuin University