Reflections on Typhoon Hagibis | Akira Wakita, Dean, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
October 15, 2019
An incredibly powerful typhoon, Hagibis (Typhoon No. 19), arrived. Said to be possibly the strongest in Earth's history, both the mass media and the internet continuously urged maximum caution. The leadership at SFC was also busy with preparations to minimize damage. While considering various scenarios—such as how to handle lectures and students remaining on campus, the fall festival, and facility issues—the executive board and administrative office shared information and addressed each problem one by one. Although I cannot disclose the details here, there were various constraints and conflicts behind the scenes. The typhoon has passed, but related response efforts are still ongoing. It seems they will not be over anytime soon. And Hagibis left severe scars all across Japan. Regarding the damage to SFC, we have not received any information about loss of life so far, and there was no major damage to campus facilities. We were fortunate. Through this disaster, I also learned of the unsung heroes at SFC. There were people who stayed overnight on campus during the heavy rain to prepare for any contingency. There were those who inspected the entire campus as soon as the typhoon had passed. I realized that SFC operates thanks to the support of many staff members. As part of the SFC leadership, I plan to provide care for affected students and faculty members and strengthen our disaster preparedness measures. The national and local governments will also likely advance more robust disaster prevention measures. However, I feel that something important is missing from these efforts alone. Perhaps it is a lack of disaster awareness. As the typhoon approached the Kanto region, I finished a meeting in Mita and stopped by a nearby Peacock supermarket, only to find that most of the food was gone. There were long lines at gas stations, causing traffic jams everywhere on the roads. Everyone was rushing to prepare at the last minute. Everyone knows that Japan has many typhoons. But most people are not prepared for a massive typhoon. Perhaps they think such a thing will never come, or that even if it does, they will somehow manage. Come to think of it, it was the same during the 3.11 earthquake. I believe disaster awareness is not simply about the mindset of "preparing for something." Torahiko Terada is said to have remarked, "Natural disasters strike when you have forgotten about them." No matter how thorough the preparations, it becomes difficult to pass them on after a period of 60 or 70 years—about the length of a human lifetime. Society gradually forgets about natural disasters. However, a span of 60 or 70 years is but a moment on a geological timescale. The next major disaster could strike at any moment. We need to change our fundamental perspective on nature, or rather, the Japanese view of nature itself. Every single place in the space we inhabit has the mechanism and capacity to carry the wind. We live surrounded by a space that can generate and transmit typhoons, easily destroying cities and lives. And right now, your fingertips are touching that very space. I believe that having such a perspective on nature is the first step toward disaster awareness. Fortunately, at SFC, we have Associate Professor Satoko Oki, an expert in disaster prevention, and Senior Assistant Professor Yoshiaki Miyamoto, an expert in meteorology. This is very reassuring. They have likely considered and put into practice hundreds of times more than I have. Together with them, I hope to foster a new sense of disaster awareness at SFC.
[References]
Torahiko Terada
"Jishin Zakkan / Tsunami to Ningen - Terada Torahiko Zuihitsu Senshu" (Miscellaneous Thoughts on Earthquakes / Tsunamis and Humans - Selected Essays of Torahiko Terada), Chuko Bunko, 2011.
This book provides a detailed account of what was happening in Japan at the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake. It is interesting that he even considered the possibility of war or terrorism coinciding with natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis.
Akira Wakita, Dean, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies / Professor, Faculty Profile