ALIVE Newsletter No.99 Topic

Disaster Relief and the Involvement of Local People

The devastation caused by the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake on March 11 has literally shaken the entire country and taken the lives of countless people and animals. This summer in the No Entry zones in particular, there are large numbers of pests and abandoned livestock at large. As of this writing, no coherent measures have been taken regarding these animals although an inordinate amount of time has already passed. The municipal offices that were able to take measures promptly were precisely those that have always keen on improving their animal administrations.

Disasters tend to come without warning. We say that to be well prepared means to have no worries, but we can’t always be well prepared for such devastating disasters as the one that struck Tohoku. The best solution is for local municipal offices and local communities to have the will to improve and work effectively together. Only where there is a well-established relationship between local government and the community does it become possible to avoid the worst-case scenario when dealing with disaster emergencies.

Fusako Nogami
Head of Publication and Editor