| ANMC21 is a cooperative effort between major cities and capitals in Asia to solve problems faced by large cities. In this issue, we focus on projects regarding "Tourism" and "Crisis Management". |
(2) The Disaster Management Drill Observation Report
The ANMC21 joint project Network for Crisis Management observes the Disaster Management Drill that is held each year in Tokyo. The drill held on August 29th included observation by 21 disaster prevention professionals from Bangkok, Korea, and Taipei.
In Japan, every September 1st is Disaster Prevention Day. Marking the anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake that occurred on that day in 1923, the Japanese government designated the day as Disaster Prevention Day in 1960. The Great Kanto Earthquake was a disaster of truly historic proportions that claimed over 100,000 lives. Currently, in order to involve the residents of Tokyo in the drill as much as possible, the Disaster Management Drill is held on the last Sunday of August.
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This year's drill involved the participation of police, fire fighters, Self Defense Force members, and civilians, totaling some 15,000 participants. Facilities increasing disaster prevention awareness through experience included an earthquake simulation vehicle as well as simulated smoke and natural disasters, allowing the general public to experience firsthand the dangers associated with disasters and learn adequate ways in which to improve their emergency preparedness.
10 ANMC21 rescue members from Taipei took part in the drill to adjust traffic on the four lanes on one side of Hakusan Street. Together with the Tokyo Fire Department, they used emergency cutters and cranes in a drill to save wounded people from damaged cars. This was the fifth instance of participation by ANMC21 members.
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Despite the considerable heat, our observation group spent three hours visiting the drill sites at Mukogaoka 2-Chome and Toyo University, observing civilian participation in the drills and the response to disaster experience facilities. At the end of our observation, a participant from Bangkok commented, "I'm impressed by how civilians are included in such a large-scale drill. I think we should have similar civilian-oriented drills in Bangkok." A participant from Taipei who took part in the urban rescue team commented, "It's essential for improvement of disaster countermeasures that these joint drills be continued."
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Having completed their observation of the training, the following day the participants visited the Disaster Emergency Information Center, a large-scale fire fighting ship, a school for fire fighters, and other such crisis management locations, ending a rewarding observation period. As a result, we strongly believe that the participation of the observation group will lead to improvements in disaster prevention overseas.
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