A Study on Cooperation Among Inhabitants, School Manager, and Municipality for Evacuation Shelter Planning

Abstract

   When a disaster occurs, the inhabitants are required to go to evacuation shelters that are elementary schools and junior high schools. Moreover, these inhabitants are considered as the main constituent for setting up and running evacuation shelters. Therefore, it is necessary for conducting a planning on setting, using, and running evacuation shelters (hereafter, evacuation shelter planning) based on discussion among the inhabitant, school manager, and municipality. This study aims to show a method for creating cooperation among the inhabitant and school manager, municipality for evacuation shelter planning when a disaster occurs. The method is applied to a disaster community school in Miki machi (in Japanese, a local administrative), Kaga city, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. Firstly, we clarify highlight features of voluntary disaster prevention organization in Miki machi based on inhabitants’ activities and existing key person. Secondly, before deciding establishment of disaster community school, we organize a discussion on direction of disaster community school at a meeting on “ideal form of evacuation shelter” organized by disaster prevention experts and school managers. Next, we organize content and purpose of disaster community school and clarify getting agreement between the inhabitants and school managers for creating evacuation shelter planning. Finally, the cooperation among the inhabitant and school manager, municipality for evacuation shelter planning is examined. 

   As the results, this research could present a flowchart of the ideal form of cooperation among the inhabitant and school manager, municipality for evacuation shelter planning. We say role of the inhabitants, school manager, and municipality. About the inhabitants, they actively expressed their opinions by main constituent themselves. Participating of school manager could improve evacuation shelter planning, for they have a clear grasp of school facilities. About municipality, they need to support the activity of the inhabitant, for the inhabitants are considered as the main constituent.

Keywords: Evacuation shelter planning; Creating cooperation; key person