In the three years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, most of the country has yet to prepare itself for another disaster. A recent survey by Tohoku University's International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDS) found that a large percentage of municipalities across Japan still have not taken steps to ensure enough food or fuel to operate for more than a day in the event of another serious earthquake.
When the electricity supply was cut off after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, most municipal offices in the Tohoku region were caught unprepared. Local government employees had to run around to service stations in a desperate attempt to find enough fuel to power their emergency electric generation systems.
Few had more than a day's worth of food stockpiled. Prospects for the same thing happening again are high, according to the report, which stated that only 42 percent of municipalities nationwide maintained enough fuel to run emergency generators for three days. Without electricity, their ability to assist survivors and coordinate relief efforts will be highly impaired. Food stockpiles have also been ignored. The survey found that only 22 percent have enough food to feed staff for at least three days, while 46 percent have no stockpiles at all. Such lack of planning after the 2011 disaster is hard to believe.