Planning for Earthquakes and Tsunamis: Lessons from Japan for British Columbia, Canada

In this paper I consider how international experience in the management of catastrophic natural disasters might be transferable across jurisdictions by comparing two study areas, the Tōhoku coastal region of northeast Japan, and the coastal area of southwest British Columbia (BC), Canada. I present a conceptual framework recognizing that good practice from one jurisdiction can be useful in improving disaster management planning in another. This framework also underscores that disaster management experience from overseas should be interpreted carefully, taking into account national and local conditions. Empirically, I re-examine the 2011 Great Japan Earthquake and the stricken Tōhoku region at the time of its tenth anniversary to see what lessons might be learned for disaster planning in southwest BC. Both study areas face exposure to hazards involving low probability/high impact mega-earthquakes and tsunami, and both have taken steps to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities and infrastructure. In the case of the BC southwest coast this region is vulnerable to both a catastrophic magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami resulting from the rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ). When compared to Japan, however, BC lacks a history of major seismic events close to population centers and has little direct experience of planning for large earthquakes and tsunami events along its coastline. To help discern which particular features of Japan’s planning for (and response to) the Great East Japan Earthquake might yield policy implications for BC, I use the four pillars of disaster management as analytical tools: (1) the mitigation of risk, (2) disaster preparedness, (3) the emergency response, and (4) post-disaster recovery. The study methodology involved extensive site visits to both the Tōhoku region of Japan and southwest BC, face-to-face interviews with disaster managers and first responders, a review of relevant policy documents and reports of the Great East Japan Earthquake, together with a review of current disaster management practice in BC. The results revealed interesting comparisons between the two jurisdictions, signaling that the Japanese system had moved to a ‘culture of preparedness’, whereas the BC system was still being modernized to focus on proactive disaster planning. There are many policy suggestions from the Japanese experience in 2011 that deserve consideration for adapting into BC earthquake and tsunami planning. These include the urgency of seismic retrofitting programs, the adoption of a pro-active approaches to triggering emergency recovery operations, advance coordination with construction companies to assist relief and recovery as well as advance planning for large-scale temporary housing programs. The challenges and policy missteps experienced in Japan’s planning and response operations at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake are also noted, such as an overreliance on sea walls to prevention tsunami inundation, together with deficient escape plans in some local communities.