Lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake

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Fifteen years after 3/11, the anniversary offers an opportunity to reassess the importance of sustained engagement in disaster recovery and what can still be learned from it.

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Despite Japan’s strong infrastructure and high level of disaster awareness, Affan recalls being struck by the scale of the destruction in 2011. At the same time, he was impressed by the reconstruction efforts that sought to incorporate future disaster risks through measures such as building evacuation towers along the coastline, raising ground levels in vulnerable areas and constructing controversial seawalls.

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He also points to new approaches to preserving disaster memory and education. “Today, technologies such as artificial intelligence or virtual reality are sometimes used to pass on survivors’ experiences to younger generations who have no memory of that time. This is why it remains important to keep looking at Tohoku.”

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The need to learn from the lessons of 3/11 is not limited to countries traditionally prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. With climate change intensifying natural hazards and geopolitical shifts altering risk landscapes, European countries are also increasingly looking abroad for experience in disaster resilience.

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Regarding evacuation practices, Japan’s experience also offers important lessons for aging societies such as Italy, Spain and Germany.

“We need to look at what is happening in Japan,” Grau says. “It allows us to see what works and what doesn’t in an aging society. Learning from countries with more experience helps save time and resources and identify best practices.”

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Fifteen years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, recovery in Tohoku is still unfolding. Just as Terada said, remembering disasters and continuing to learn from them is one important form of preparedness we have.

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