Japan plans to establish a new national agency with a command-center function for disaster response and deploy more than 350 staff to oversee preparedness, emergency response and recovery. The government has also issued an emergency request for measures including checking the earthquake resistance of residences, evaluating evacuation procedures and stockpiling at least 3 days' worth of water.
Japan will establish a new national agency dedicated to disaster response, deploying more than 350 staff to oversee preparedness, emergency response and recovery activities.
The agency is not being established in anticipation of any specific disaster. Its stated purpose is to fill gaps in the national response capability, amid concerns following the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Based on feedback from experts and historical data, less than half of municipal officials in Japan had completed the relevant training over the past 5 years, while only 15% of municipalities had evacuation plans for elderly people and people with disabilities who require assistance.
The new agency aims to improve evacuation shelters by introducing clean portable toilets, kitchens capable of providing hot meals, hot spring facilities and cardboard beds to improve conditions.
Assumed risks include a Nankai Trough earthquake, an earthquake directly beneath Tokyo and a Mount Fuji eruption, with estimates of fatalities, evacuees and housing damage presented.