use multiple information provision channels.

Interview comments on media for gathering tsunami information indicate that the utilization rate was as high as 25% each for the TV, radio and disaster radio.

Administrative information obtained through information-gathering efforts was described as “sufficient” by 30.2% of interviewees and as “insufficient” by a majority of 53.8%.

## (3) Trends by media

### a. Disaster radio

Of interviewees who were able to hear the disaster radio, 65.6% said they became aware that the tsunami was coming, indicating the recognition that the disaster radio played a key role in leading disaster-affected people to take evacuation actions.

### b. Mobile phone

Questioned about information terminals that interviewees carried with them upon their evacuation in the disaster-damaged areas, 95.1% of respondents cited the mobile phone (Figure 3-1-1-3). But a specific interview comment said, “I think that if I were able to use the mobile phone, I would have been fortunate.” Another comment said: “I had believed that wireless mobile phones would be useful upon disasters. But I was shocked at finding mobile phones not useful.” After the disaster occurrence, particularly, mobile phones were left unusable for a long time due to network congestion, physical damage to base stations and other facilities, out-of-fuel standby power systems and other factors. Interview comments indicate that disaster-affected people even with mobile phones remained isolated, failing to confirm whether their relatives were safe.

### c. Broadcasting

Many interviewees depended on the radio, TV and other broadcasting media. They gave high ratings to the provision of regional information using news tickers and community broadcasting. Among comments on needs for regional information through broadcasting media, however, one said, "The radio, though being useful for obtaining information, failed to provide details." Another said, "I am considering whether some community FM radio system for a limited region can be developed to improve the current situation where it is difficult to collect town information." They pointed to some constraints on the capacity of these broadcasting media for providing daily living-related and other detailed regional information.

### d. Internet

When voice communications and E-mails through mobile phones were unavailable just after the earthquake occurrence and when disaster-affected people completed their evacuation, people including advanced Internet users took advantage of blogs, the Google Person Finder, Twitter and other Internet services to confirm relatives' fates and collect detailed regional information. In the disaster-damaged regions, Internet users were generally limited. But those who effectively used the Internet for gathering daily living-related and other information gave a high rating to the Internet, suggesting the Internet's high potential as an information provision tool for disaster-damaged areas.

## (4) ICT conditions

Interviewees’ specific requests or needs regarding communications infrastructure indicate that many (10.8%) of them cited the secured usability, reliability and redundancy of communications infrastructure along

Figure 3-1-1-2 specific requests/needs for ICT tools

$ ^{*} $ Note: The parent group has a population of 194 selected out of the all interviewed (306), which consist of respondents who made specific comments or requirements. Each ratio is a percentage of the respondents who favored the corresponding item to the parent population.

Figure 3-1-1-3 Information terminals carried by disaster-affected people and their relevant specific requests/needs