March 11 marks the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
With the passage of time, how to hand down the lessons has become an issue, and evacuation drills to prepare for disasters and events to convey memories are being held in various places.
"World Bosai Forum" begins in Sendai
The "World Bosai Forum" has started in Sendai City to convey the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake to the world and present disaster prevention efforts and research results in Japan and overseas.
The World Bosai Forum has been held in Sendai City once every two years since 2017, but it was postponed due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and this time, the third time in four years, it was held on March 11 for the first time. rice field.
On the first day, the 10th, the ceremony was held, and Anju Kawasaki, a storyteller in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, looked back on her experience of running to high ground and evacuating to high ground when the disaster occurred when she was a junior high school student. The training and learning about disaster prevention from the disaster led to a quick evacuation.I hope that everyone will learn from each other at the World Bosai Forum and that the circle of disaster prevention will expand."
The mayor of Sendai City, the host city of Sendai, said, "Tomorrow it will be 12 years since the earthquake, and as more and more generations don't know about that time, I would like to make this a forum that will lead to disaster prevention and mitigation around the world while learning from everyone's discussions. I want to," he said.
The World Bosai Forum was held over a period of three days, with disaster researchers from about 40 countries discussing ways to resolve issues related to disaster prevention and mitigation, as well as exhibitions of corporate disaster prevention products. increase.
A university student in his 20s from Nagano who visited the venue said, "I want to work in disaster prevention planning in the future, so I came to study what kind of research is being done now."
Training such as evacuation at a 54-story building Minato-ku, Tokyo
At "Roppongi Hills" in Minato-ku, Tokyo, residents participated in training such as evacuation.
``Roppongi Hills'' in Roppongi, Minato Ward, which consists of 54-story buildings, is said to be able to accept up to 5,000 evacuees, as well as residents and companies, and is a disaster-resistant ``city that can escape''. .
The training had been canceled until last year due to the effects of the new corona, but on the 10th, it was held for the first time in four years, and about 500 people participated from residents and companies.
In the training conducted assuming a large earthquake, training to evacuate by lowering the posture in a tent filled with smoke and training to learn how to use a fire extinguisher were conducted.
In addition, in the "Earthquake Simulation Car" where participants could experience tremors with a seismic intensity of 7, participants were surprised by the tremors and learned how to quickly turn off the main gas valve when the tremors subsided.
A female resident who participated said, "We were able to participate in a variety of drills, which increased our sense of security in the event of a disaster."
Takeshi Kondo, chairman of the Roppongi Hills Neighborhood Association, who held the training, said, "Workers and residents actually gather and train to increase their sense of unity. By raising awareness of disaster prevention on a daily basis, we can help each other in the event of a disaster. I want to continue," he said.