Survey on the dissemination of Web-based information on “evacuation and sheltering” in the context of COVID-19 by the Japanese Government
International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment
ISSN: 1759-5908
Article publication date: 18 October 2021
Issue publication date: 6 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the websites of central government ministries, prefectures and municipalities to obtain a comprehensive bird’s-eye view of how they are preparing for natural disasters in the context of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines the websites of central government ministries, prefectures and municipalities in Japan to survey the actual status of information dissemination on “evacuation and sheltering” in the context of COVID-19.
Findings
This study found that the central government issued many notices, notifications and administrative communications to prefectures, cities with public health centers and special wards, which were mainly related to opening, securing and operating evacuation centers and improving the environment. It was found that most prefectures disseminated information on both survival and living evacuation and did so from June onward, when the flood season was approaching. Among the municipalities, there were differences in information dissemination tendencies by prefecture, and it became clear that smaller municipalities were especially incapable of fully disseminating information via the Web.
Research limitations/implications
The data from the prefectures and municipalities surveyed in this study were collected from websites and do not necessarily represent the actual response to disaster-related evacuation in the context of COVID-19 in those areas. To clarify this evacuation, more detailed surveys are needed.
Originality/value
This study is unique because no research has been conducted on the response of Japanese administrative agencies to disaster-related evacuation in the context of COVID-19; the actual situation was analyzed in this study by examining central government ministries, prefectures and municipalities as administrative agencies and comparing their responses.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their gratitude to Misa Takahashi, Akiko Tanaka and the staff members of the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience as well as Noriko Ohnuma and Shiori Nomura of Japan Conservation Engineers and Co., Ltd. The authors are grateful to Prof Richard Haigh for serving as Editor and to two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on improving the paper.
Citation
Sano, H., Chiba, Y., Maeda, S., Ikeda, C., Handa, N., Miura, S. and Usuda, Y. (2023), "Survey on the dissemination of Web-based information on “evacuation and sheltering” in the context of COVID-19 by the Japanese Government", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-01-2021-0005
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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