Investigating rural community behaviour after the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake: a case study of Kawaguchi town, Japan

摘要

Every year, earthquakes cause economic and human losses around the globe. InJapan, a great deal of attention has focused on improving the safety ofstructures and individuals in the last decade. The introduction here ofseveral new related policies, together with continuous discussion of suchpolicies, has raised the level of environmental security nationwide. Despitethis significant effort, individual preparedness and awareness are stilllacking, especially in rural areas, where technological advancements andpolicy applications often arrive late. In this paper, Kawaguchi town inNiigata Prefecture, Japan was chosen as study area because of both the majordamage experienced during the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake and the particularlydynamic socio-cultural activities of the community. Using interviews andquestionnaires to collect information, this study aims to investigate thecauses of local variations in community behaviour after the earthquake.Geographic location as well as everyday social relationships, socialinteractions and organisation are considered the main causes of thedifferences in community organisation during the recovery process. This studyhighlights the necessity for more localised emergency education in order topromote longer lasting awareness and preparation in rural areas.