Three years before the heavy rain disaster centered on western Japan, NHK surveyed about 1,400 victims in the four prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, and Ehime, and more than half of them were again heavy rain disasters. I found that I was in danger of meeting.
It can be seen that many victims are still living in mental tension even three years after the heavy rain.
Three years ago, the heavy rains in western Japan in July caused a series of sediment-related disasters, river floods, and inundation damage, mainly in the Shikoku and Chugoku regions.
Over the last month, NHK conducted a survey of approximately 2,650 victims in the four prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, and Ehime, which were affected by the heavy rains in western Japan, and received responses from 1,389, or 52%.
Of these, when asked what they were most worried about three years after the heavy rain, 53% said they felt the danger of having a heavy rain disaster again, 9% said they were physically and mentally ill, and they said that they were in the community. "Exchanges" and "Regional reconstruction is not progressing" were both 6%.
When asked the same question in last year's questionnaire, the most common answer was "I feel the danger of a heavy rain disaster again", which was 58%, and many victims were mentally nervous even three years after the heavy rain. You can see that we are living in the area.
Regarding the results of the questionnaire, Satoshi Mimura, director of the Okayama University Regional Research Center, who is familiar with disaster information and regional disaster prevention, said, "The shock of the disaster does not disappear immediately, and I think that many people still feel the danger of a disaster and become anxious. In order to alleviate anxiety, it is important for the government to continue to make efforts to inform the community in a timely manner of how reconstruction is progressing. "
Expert "Efforts to convey reconstruction in a timely manner are important"
Director Mimura said, "The shock of the disaster will not disappear immediately, and I think that many people still feel the danger of a disaster and become anxious. In order to alleviate the anxiety, reconstruction is progressing. It is important for the government to continue making efforts to convey this to the community in a timely manner. In the future, we will raise awareness of disaster prevention with such anxiety as a spring and think about how to protect our lives and livelihoods. The challenge is to foster them. "
Victims who answered, "I feel the danger of suffering a heavy rain disaster again"
Kunio Sumasu (60), who was affected by the disaster in Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City and continues to live in a temporary housing, said that the most worrisome thing in the questionnaire was that he "feels the danger of suffering a heavy rain disaster again."
Mr. Sumasu's home was in the "Iryo district" surrounded by the banks of the Oda River and its tributary, the Takama River.
In the heavy rains in western Japan three years ago, the nearby embankments broke in three places, flooding my home more than five meters.
Mr. Sumasu says he was late to escape and alone climbed a tree near his home and waited for help.
Mr. Sumasu still feels the danger of suffering a heavy rain disaster again, but he is aiming to rebuild his home in the same place because of his attachment to the land that he has inherited from his ancestors.
What should I do to live in the original place with genuine peace of mind?
The conclusion I came up with after worrying was the "raising" of the land.
The plan is to raise the land where the house was located to a height of about 6 meters, which is the same as the surrounding embankment, and then rebuild the house.
In discussions with the government, the area between the embankment and the residential land will be raised in an integrated manner, and even if the river overflows, the risk of serious inundation will be reduced, and the embankment itself can be expected to become stronger. thinking about.
However, in Kurashiki City, where Mr. Sumasu lives, there are no subsidies applied to such raising by residents, and the cost will be borne by the individual.
The approval of the residents of the district is indispensable for the realization of the plan, and as a result of Mr. Sumasu explaining each house and soliciting participation, four residents agreed, and on average about 10 million yen each was shared. Raising work will be realized.
Atsushi Yamashita, who participates in the raising, said, "It costs money to buy new land in another place. If so, I thought that it would be better to take measures in a place where I was accustomed to living and rebuild the house, so I agreed with the plan. I was talking.
Large-scale raising by the hands of residents is rare in Japan, and we support local people as one of the options for living safely.
Atsushi Yamaguchi, a local community development organization, said, "I would like to continue to support the government so that people in other areas can know that it can be raised by the power of the residents." Was there.
Mr. Sumasu said, "The house where I was born and raised is the most reassuring place for me, and I feel that I should not break the connection between the communities where I have lived by helping each other. It is safer to cooperate with each other. I want to make it a land. "
The raising work is being prepared so that it can be carried out in line with the Odagawa embankment work scheduled by the government around autumn.