Reflections on the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku Earthquake | Jun Murai (Dean, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies)
March 14, 2011
More than three days have passed since the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku Earthquake on March 11, and the situation continues to evolve with aftershocks and issues at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. I sincerely pray for everyone's safety and extend my deepest condolences to the victims confirmed each day, as well as to their families and all those affected.
・Please cooperate with the SFC safety confirmation.
First, I would like to ask for your cooperation in gathering safety information for the SFC community. We are using SFC-SFS, the system used for surveys and our course management system that we asked you to use last year. Please check your email and click the URL provided, or log in to SFC-SFS to report your safety status.
Currently, initial response activities, centered around disaster headquarters established in each administrative unit, are focused on saving lives and assessing the extent of the damage. The fatigue and suffering of those who have evacuated will gradually increase. Members of the SFC community will also do what they can, but let us prepare for the next phase of recovery in a way that does not interfere with these initial response efforts.
SFC has many students, alumni, and expert faculty and staff who have performed truly remarkable work in disaster-stricken areas, including after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami in 2004, and the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake in 2008. Each time, these efforts have become a source of pride for SFC. SFC directly links these activities to education and research. This is precisely the practice of the teachings of Yukichi Fukuzawa, who believed that academia and the campus must make a real contribution in times of crisis.
Drawing on this experience and knowledge, we must proudly make new contributions. Professor Shiro Asano of the Faculty of Policy Management, a former governor of Miyagi Prefecture, which is at the heart of this disaster, worked on earthquake and tsunami countermeasures during his time in office. Let us learn from Professor Asano and engage in activities that make a genuine contribution. We have deep connections with each of the affected prefectures, including Aomori, Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki, through our campuses and joint research agreements. There is much to learn from this network as well.
SFC also has many alumni active in NPOs and other organizations, aiming to contribute to society. We expect them to coordinate closely with current students and faculty on campus to carry out appropriate activities. On March 11, the day of the earthquake, a major event called the "New Learning Festa," a collaboration between current students, faculty, and alumni, was scheduled to be held on campus. After the decision was made to cancel the event due to the sudden earthquake, many participants had to stay overnight on the SFC campus. The cancellation is deeply regrettable. It pains me to think of the anxious and difficult night spent by the students and guests, both from within and outside the university, who were stranded on campus with no way to get home, and above all, to consider the feelings of those who had spent so long preparing for this major event. I received a message from one of the event's lead organizers, Kumi Imamura of Katariba, who proposed that, together with the sponsors of the canceled "New Learning Festa," they would like to work with SFC to provide support for the educational environment that will eventually be needed in the disaster-stricken areas. I was truly encouraged to see our alumni stand up so positively and immediately, without a moment's hesitation, despite having had to make the heartbreaking decision to cancel the event.
We will also need to solve new problems as they continue to arise. With that in mind, let us all connect firmly through the large global network that begins at SFC and walk together down the very long road to recovery from this historic disaster and the creation of a new society.
(Posted: 03/14/2011)