With successive large-scale natural disasters occurring across the country, Miyagi Prefecture is strengthening its support system for cities in times of disaster. In the event of a disaster large enough to set up a disaster headquarters, we have created three new mechanisms, such as sending technical staff from the civil engineering department to cities above motivational basis. In addition to support from national governments, we will assist with the early restoration of public civil engineering facilities by rapidly gathering information in the initial response.
Mamoru Chiba, General Manager of Civil Engineering Department
The groups dispatched were the Miyagi Disaster Support Team, the Miyagi Disaster Support Team, and the Miyagi Disaster Support Staff. 309 employees, equivalent to 60% of the staff of the civil engineering department, and 8 retired employees were designated and pre-registered as dispatch staff. . The right officers were selected based on their expertise in roads, rivers, erosion control and other areas in which they could respond.
Regardless of the request from the affected cities, the vanguard will enter the affected cities immediately after the disaster to collect information and coordinate with the national authorities. Equivalent to a national liaison (local information liaison).
Disaster recovery teams are dispatched after receiving requests from affected cities. Responsible for surveying the damage of civil engineering works managed by the city government and compiling reports, and acting as the national technology force (the team to coordinate disaster response measures). emergency disaster). About three people per team are sent out on rotation for about a month.
The support staff are engineering alumni of the civil engineering faculty, and the prefecture's civil engineering department and the Miyagi Prefectural Construction Center jointly visited the affected cities. Their role is to provide advice from a technical standpoint when considering disaster recovery methods. OB staff in the position of disaster recovery technology specialist are certified and registered by the National Disaster Prevention Association.
“The shortage of technical staff in cities is a serious problem,” said Mamoru Chiba, civil engineering director for the prefectural government. When a large-scale disaster such as the great earthquake in eastern Japan or a large-scale typhoon occurs, support from the national government is needed to respond to the disaster area. Based on the idea that it was extremely important to "add national support by sending provincial officials knowledgeable about the municipalities at an early stage", the Civil Engineering Department was established.
A typhoon struck in the fall of 2019 and caused widespread damage in eastern Japan. The prefecture has sent civil engineering officials to Marumori, a town located in the southern part of the prefecture, which has experienced record rainfall in rice fields. The provincial government is considering a plan to support cities from fiscal year 2020 to take advantage of the lessons learned at that time. After about two years, the system started operating in April this year.
During this time, the civil engineering department also conducted training to gain basic knowledge of disaster recovery and disaster assessment know-how, with the aim of enhancing disaster response capabilities. . Furthermore, since fiscal year 2016, we have conducted training sessions that invite external trainers, such as disaster preparedness experts. Without stopping the movement when starting the new system, the province aims to improve the skills of employees so that they can work smoothly at the destination by using training contents provided by communication force and technology. supplying country.
Securing and training human resources is an issue that needs to be addressed by both the public and private sectors. Miyagi Prefecture is no exception. Chiba, who maintains administrative functions with a limited number of staff, asserts: “We need engineers who can respond to a variety of natural disasters. The province has prepared a series of training menus to train civil engineering department staff, including specialized skills, new technologies such as DX and disaster response, and is focusing on developing young staff. We also hope that the experience and know-how of former employees will be passed on.
The Ministry of Construction has signed disaster prevention agreements with 26 construction-related organizations and others to deal with the emergency restoration of public facilities. Construction companies, the guardians of the area, will continue to play an integral role in the future. This financial year, the civil engineering department also started a subsidy system as a measure to improve the disaster preparedness of the local construction industry. By "preparing a complete system and maintaining a good partnership with the local construction industry," Chiba said, we will protect the safety and security of people in the prefecture.
