社説:広島土砂災害 検証尽くして教訓導け

August 23, 2014(Mainichi Japan)
Editorial: Learning a lesson from Hiroshima landslides
社説:広島土砂災害　検証尽くして教訓導け

The number of residents reported missing following major landslides in northern Hiroshima in the predawn hours of Aug. 20 has significantly increased, threatening to make the disaster the worst of its kind in recent years when combined with the confirmed death toll.
　広島市北部で２０日未明発生した土砂崩れの行方不明者が大幅に増え、犠牲者と合わせると近年では最悪の土砂災害となる恐れが強まった。

Initially seven people were reported missing, but a little over 24 hours later that figure climbed to over 50. The discrepancy in the numbers reported missing comes from police and local municipalities using different methods to confirm the safety of residents.
　行方不明の人数が当初の７人から２４時間以上たって５０人超に増えたのは、住民の安否情報の確認方法が自治体と警察との間で違っていたためだ。

The difficulty that officials face in fully grasping the extent of the damage indicates how severe the disaster is.
被災状況の把握すら困難な厳しい状況であることを示している。

With rain continuing to fall intermittently, rescuers are desperately searching for the missing while remaining on alert against secondary damage. All efforts should be exhausted in search and rescue operations, with priority put on saving human lives.
断続的に雨が降り、２次災害を警戒しながらの捜索活動が続く。人命を最優先に力を尽くしてもらいたい。

Amid ongoing power and water outages in the disaster-hit areas, an increasing number of residents have been forced to take shelter at public facilities.
　被災現場は停電や断水が続き、避難所で暮らす住民が増えている。

Local municipalities are urged to pay close attention to residents' needs so that volunteers can provide adequate support.
ボランティアを受け入れる自治体は、的確な支援ができるよう住民の要望をきめ細かく聞き取ってほしい。

Hiroshima Prefecture has the most spots vulnerable to sediment disaster in Japan.
　広島県は土砂災害危険箇所が全国で最も多いが、

However, the designation of warning zones under the Act on Sediment Disaster Countermeasures for Sediment Disaster Prone Areas has not come fast enough.
土砂災害防止法の警戒区域指定は遅れていた。

The residential areas that suffered damage in the latest landslides were prone to disasters due to their proximity to mountains, but most of them had not been designated as sediment disaster-prone areas.
被災現場は山裾に住宅地が広がり、災害の恐れのある地域だったが、ほとんどが未指定だ。

Financial and manpower shortages have reportedly hampered the progress of field surveys, while residents are reluctant to have land designated as being disaster-prone, fearing that their property values will be downgraded.
財政難や人員不足で現地調査などの作業が進まないという。不動産価値の低下を住民が懸念し、理解を得にくいことも要因だ。

Nevertheless, it is serious that such an immense disaster hit areas that had not been listed as being disaster-prone.
　だが、指定されなかった地域で甚大な災害が起きたことを重く受け止めなければならない。

If more damage like this arises, criticism that the disaster was a man-made calamity could intensify.
今後も同じような被害が出れば、「人災」という批判が強まりかねない。

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is urged to review the operation of the law and promote the designation of areas prone to sediment disaster as such.
国土交通省は指定促進のために運用を見直し、

If reviews alone are insufficient, legislative revisions need to be deliberated in the Diet.
それでも不十分ならば国会で法改正を議論する必要がある。

The city of Hiroshima has acknowledged that its evacuation advisory came too late, and is poised to review the standards for issuing such advisories.
　広島市は避難勧告の遅れを認め、発令基準を見直す。

Memories of the landslide disaster on Izu Oshima Island in October last year, when an absence of an evacuation advisory or order resulted in many casualties, remains fresh in our minds.
昨年１０月の土砂災害で東京都大島町（伊豆大島）が避難勧告・指示を出さず、多くの犠牲者が出た。

The central government subsequently notified municipalities across the nation to issue evacuation advisories without fearing that they might turn out to be unnecessary.
そのため政府は、空振りを恐れず勧告を出すよう自治体に通知したが、

The government should fully reassure municipalities about the directive once again.
改めて徹底すべきだ。

It is difficult and dangerous for residents to evacuate at night, but the risks could be lowered in some cases if people moved to the upper floors of buildings.
　夜間の避難は難しく危険もつきまとうが、建物の高層部に逃げる垂直避難であれば危険度は低い。

In the Hiroshima disaster, a family found their way to safety by evacuating upstairs to the second floor of their home. 今回の災害でも１階から２階に移り全員が無事だった家族がいた。

Residents in disaster-prone areas should regularly discuss how to act in the event of a disaster and make steadfast preparations.
災害の危険性が高い地域の住民は、日ごろから災害時の行動を話し合い、備えを万全にしておいてほしい。

In the wake of the torrential rain that hit the Kii Peninsula in September 2011, leaving 82 people dead and 16 missing, the Wakayama Prefectural Government created guidelines for issuing evacuation advisories.
　８２人が死亡し１６人が行方不明となった２０１１年９月の紀伊半島豪雨を受けて、和歌山県は避難勧告を出すモデル基準を作った。

The guidelines require avoidance of ambiguous expressions.
あいまいな表現を避け、

They also require the use of numerical criteria such as accumulated precipitation so residents can make an objective judgment.
累積雨量など数値基準を使って客観的に判断できるようにした。

In the Hyogo Prefecture town of Sayo, where flooding from a typhoon five years ago left 18 dead and two missing, the town office introduced a monitoring system in which residents living near rivers report water levels and other relevant information, based on which the town office decides whether to issue evacuation advisories.
５年前の台風による水害で２０人の死者・行方不明者が出た兵庫県佐用町は、河川付近の住民から水位などを報告してもらうモニター制度を導入し、発令の判断に活用している。

We should take note of such system improvements grounded in lessons learned from tragedies.
痛ましい体験を教訓とした制度改善例を参考にしたい。

In the Hiroshima disaster, the cause and background factors of the extensive damage should be thoroughly verified so we can utilize the information in future measures.
　今回の土砂災害でも被害が拡大した原因や背景を徹底的に検証し、そこから得た教訓を今後の対策に生かしていくことが極めて重要だ。

毎日新聞　2014年08月23日　02時33分（最終更新　08月23日　09時39分）