Disaster Prevention: It's Too Late Once It Happens
Talking about systems that local governments can 'already use' now
In recent years, natural disasters such as heavy rain, typhoons, and earthquakes have
become a daily risk rather than something 'unexpected'.
Every time a disaster occurs,
the words 'it was beyond our expectations' or 'it couldn't be helped' are repeated, but
is that really the case?
In fact, right now,
'systems for preparing before it happens' are already in motion.
National disaster prevention and mitigation investment that has actually already begun
The national government is currently using
• Emergency Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Project Expenses: 500 billion yen
• Emergency Natural Disaster Prevention Measure Project Expenses: 400 billion yen
a total budget of 900 billion yen to
advance projects nationwide to prevent disasters before they occur.
This is not a 'new system'.
It is an existing system that is already being implemented.
What is so important about this system?
The biggest feature of this system
lies in the financial design that makes it very easy for local governments to use.
• Project costs can be 100% covered by local government bonds
• 70% of the repayment is later subsidized by the national government through local allocation taxes
In other words,
it is a mechanism where
local governments can
advance disaster prevention projects with an effective burden of about 30%
while keeping initial out-of-pocket expenses low.
It is an attempt to overcome the situation of
'we can't do disaster prevention because we don't have the money' through the system.
Reasons why disaster prevention still doesn't progress
Even with the system in place,
I often hear these voices in the field:
• I don't know where to start
• Isn't it only for large-scale projects?
• Small villages and mountainous areas tend to be put on the back burner
As a result,
a situation is created where
the places that are actually the most dangerous have the slowest countermeasures.
What is needed from now on is the concept of 'small-scale and decentralized'
Evacuation centers and disaster prevention hubs
are not necessarily better just because they are large.
• Elderly people cannot evacuate far away
• Too many people concentrate in one place
• They are not used in normal times, leaving only maintenance costs
Based on these issues,
the option of small-scale, regionally decentralized disaster prevention hubs
should be discussed more.
You can use the system in this way too
For example,
• Deploying multiple small disaster prevention hubs
• Making them facilities that can be used not only during disasters but also in normal times
• Considering those who need special care (the elderly, people with disabilities, children)
These ideas
can also be organized within the framework of the current disaster prevention and mitigation system.
I myself
am involved in a concept called 'VILLA NAVIA',
a small-scale, permanent disaster prevention hub using 3D printer construction, but
this is just one concrete example.
What is important
is not 'what to adopt',
but how to master the system.
I don't want to blame anyone
This talk
• Is not intended to criticize specific local governments
• Is not forcing anything
• Is not asking for a new budget
It is a talk for sharing
how to make the most of the systems that already exist.
In disaster prevention,
'delays in decision-making' lead directly to damage.
That is precisely why
I believe it is important to put options on the table
while we can still discuss them.
Disaster prevention is more about 'time' than 'technology'
Once a disaster occurs,
what can be done is limited.
However,
before it happens,
systems, technology, and options still remain.
Disaster prevention
is also a question of how to use time.
I hope this article
will serve as a 'starting point for thinking'
for someone, somewhere.
※ This article is not intended to encourage specific local governments or project implementation, but
is intended for information sharing that organizes the existence and utilization potential of current systems.