Intro to Disaster (SLP) - Essay Example

Japan, the Natural Phenomena, and the Asian Continent Country Overview Japan is one of the countries to belong in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Being inthe ring would mean proneness to natural disasters associated by geological activities. Seismic movements of the plates are common event in Japan. However it does not mean that they are spared from other two forms of natural disasters, the storm and flood, due to their geographic location (Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), 2010).

This proneness has led Japan to innovate prevention measures, from policies to public training and technological means. In CRED (2010), earthquakes are the most frequent disaster to occur in Japan and the most economically damaging, followed by storm and flood. Japan and the Three Natural Phenomena As mentioned, Japan is prone to seismic activities, storm and floods due to their geological and geographic locations, which is also heightened by global warming. Following the earthquake, is a possibility of tsunami generation in the coastal areas of Japan.

In 1993, “only 239 people died when a 30 m high tsunami smashed” in Hokkaido (Bird & Lubkowski, 2005, p. 271). This is due to the experience and knowledge of the residents. Although not all earthquakes can cause tsunamis, it is still imperative for people to have precautionary measures of a possible tsunami. This is necessary in terms of a needed time for self-evacuation, just as what happened to December 26 event. Unlike the July 17, 2006 tsunami of Java, Indonesia, the number of deaths in Japanese tsunamis is not so high.

Johnson (2006) contends that “immediate assistance is crucial when natural disasters strike,” but precaution is a better way of addressing help. In other words, tsunami disaster prevention solves the problem before it occurs. Bernard (1999) encourages residents of tsunami-prone areas “to produce tsunami hazard maps, implement and maintain education, and develop early warning systems” (as cited in Morin, De Coster, Paris & Lavigne, 2008, p. 431). Like tsunamis and earthquakes, storms and floods are also common natural phenomena in Asia.

Reportedly, “the number of days of heavy rain [in Japan] with a daily rainfall of 200 mm or more have increased to about 1.5 times that of the first 30 years of the 20th century” (Ikeda, 2009). The changes in atmospheric condition are generally pin pointed to global warming. Cred (2010) noted that in 1991, a total of 10,000,000 yen was lost due to damages brought by storms. Typically, Japan is unlikely to experience storm and flooding, but recently, flood risk especially in urban areas has increased.

Although it is equally damaging, storms occurring in countries whose major income comes from the businesses around the coastal areas have stronger impact. The likelihood in which the earthquake, storms, and flood occur largely depends on the geographic and geological location of a country. Ayala (2002) noted that “geomorphology since [is an] important ingredient[s] of the Earth’s surface dynamics” (p. 109). Furthermore, its impact also depends on the nature of the economic condition of the country.

For instance, Japan is a leader in business establishments most notable in tall and post-modern buildings, and therefore, earthquake may be the most destructive that can happen in the Pacific Rim. No matter what the cause or impact the natural disasters could do, coordination among all sectors is basically important, especially of the local people who are directly affected by it (Perry, 2007). Morrow and Llewellyn (2006) added that support groups are equally important especially in the aftermath of the natural disaster where other problems can occur.

References Ayala, I.A. (2002). Geomorphology, natural hazards, vulnerability and prevention of natural disasters in developing countries. Geomorphology, 47 (2002), 107-124. Bird, J., & Lubkowzski, Z. (2005). Managing tsunami risk. The Lancet, 365 (9456), 271-273. Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. (2010). Japan country profile, natural disasters. The International Disaster Database. Retrieved from http://www.emdat.be/result-country-profile Johnson, C. (2006). Lessons from the epicenter.

Alternatives Journal, 32 (2), 22-28. Ikeda, S. (2009). Editorial: Adaptation to global warming- triggered disasters. Journal of Disaster Research, 4 (1), 1-2. Morin, J., De Coster, B., Paris, R., & Lavigne, F. (2008). Tsunami-resilient communities' development in Indonesia through educative actions; Lessons from the 26 December 2004 tsunami. Disaster Prevention and Management, 17 (3), 430-442. Morrow, R.C., & Llewellyn, D.M. (2006). Tsunami overview. Bethesda, 171 (10), 5-7. Perry, M. (2007).

Natural disaster management planning: A study of logistics managers responding to the tsunami. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 37 (5), 409-427.