No.2 Disaster Relief and Disaster Prevention

(Inagi Newsletter December 15, 2011 issue)

Since the occurrence of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Inagi City has been engaged in supporting the disaster-affected areas and implementing disaster prevention measures within the city. The main initiatives are as follows.
On June 1, 2011, we concluded a "Mutual Aid Agreement for Disasters" with Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture. Currently, we are in a position to provide support to Soma City, but in the event that Inagi City is affected by a disaster, we can receive support from Soma City.
On July 25, 2011, we expanded the "Cooperation Agreement for Disaster Response" with the Kudan Association. Previously, emergency use of the ground at "Jinseien," next to Inagi Dai 4 Junior High School, was permitted, but with this expanded agreement, the facility can now accommodate approximately 100 people as an emergency evacuation site.
Since March 13, 2011, we have been dispatching staff as direct support to disaster-affected areas. Initially, based on requests from the city alone or from organizations such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Mayors' Association, short-term dispatches were conducted for purposes such as relief, rescue, and assistance at evacuation centers. As of the end of August 2011, a total of 78 individuals and 189 person-times have been dispatched. Subsequently, for reconstruction support, medium- to long-term staff dispatches have been carried out based on requests from the Tokyo Metropolitan Mayors' Association and the National Youth Mayors' Association. Currently, one person is dispatched to Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture for seven months, and one person to Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture for two months. Additionally, in November 2011, for nine days, staff from the Election Administration Commission Secretariat were dispatched to Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, at the request of the city, to assist with the unified local elections that had been postponed in the disaster area. We will continue to make every effort to dispatch staff as much as possible based on various support requests in the future.
As disaster prevention measures within the city, we have increased funding in the June 2011 Supplementary Budget for projects such as subsidies for furniture anti-tip devices, seismic diagnosis subsidies for wooden houses, and assistance for private home renovations (reforms and seismic retrofitting).
We will continue to strive for disaster prevention measures, aiming to create a safe and secure community.