Through activities based on experiences from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tagajo High School students are raising their awareness of disaster preparedness and learning to think about it from a scientific perspective. The three pillars of their study are disaster preparedness, natural science, and international understanding. Students acquire basic knowledge about disaster preparedness and mitigation and deepen their understanding of the natural environment’s diversity through experiments, practical training, and fieldwork. They also learn to communicate with the world about the damage and recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as initiatives to prepare for and mitigate natural disasters.

In 2016, the Department of Disaster Science was established to develop a specialized disaster preparedness education program. This department especially focuses on problem-based research. In this program, students decide on their own themes and issues related to disaster preparedness and mitigation individually or in groups, and conduct research activities to solve those issues. Through identifying issues, formulating hypotheses, conducting experiments and fieldwork, summarizing their findings, and presenting their research, the program fosters students’ independence and communication skills.

In 2013, we began creating Disaster Preparedness Maps for Commuting to School. In order to take appropriate evacuation actions when there is a threat of tsunami on the way to and from school, students note their route to school on a map that shows areas at risk of tsunami inundation or landslides in the event of an earthquake. As a means of risk management to protect students’ and their families’ lives, and to raise everyday awareness of disaster preparedness, one copy of the map is kept at school and another at home.

Immediately after the earthquake, a science teacher from our department and a group of volunteer students started to investigate traces of the tsunami’s in the city. We considered this a disaster prevention education activity for the school, and based on the investigation, we started to install tsunami height signs in 2013. These signs are an effort to bring about daily awareness of the height of potential tsunamis to help prepare for and mitigate disasters. To date, we have installed more than 150 signs in the city’s tsunami inundation areas. However, the first step of this project was to gain an understanding of the local community. For some time now, our students have been participating in volunteer activities at local festivals and other events to engage with the local community. These everyday interactions enhanced understanding and support of the Tagajo High School students’ activities. Even now, the students are actively involved in community activities such as memorial events for the disaster and cleaning the windows of public housing built for disaster victims.

We never know when a natural disaster will strike. In order to take appropriate action in times of an emergency, it is important to take action on a daily basis. By regularly engaging with the community through researching our city, talking with the locals, and volunteering, we can build the relationships that help to prepare for and mitigate disasters.