巨大地震防災 強化地域の対策推進が急務だ

The Yomiuri Shimbun March 29, 2014
Designated quake areas must implement safety precautions immediately
巨大地震防災　強化地域の対策推進が急務だ（3月29日付・読売社説）

Countermeasures to deal with possible gigantic earthquakes and tsunami must be implemented without delay. It is hoped that the government’s designation of municipalities for boosting preparations for huge earthquakes will serve as an earnest step toward the local adoption of antiquake measures.
　巨大地震・津波対策は待ったなしだ。自治体が本腰を入れて取り組む一歩としたい。

The government’s Central Disaster Management Council on Friday designated a total of 1,017 cities, towns and villages in Tokyo and 31 other prefectures for boosting measures against projected huge earthquakes with focuses in the Nankai Trough or the surface of Tokyo.
　南海トラフ巨大地震、首都直下地震について、中央防災会議は、対策を強化する地域として、３２都府県の延べ１０１７市区町村を指定した。

A Nankai Trough earthquake is projected to result in more than 300,000 fatalities and more than ¥200 trillion in damage. A massive temblor with a focus directly under Tokyo, meanwhile, is projected to leave more than 20,000 people dead and put the city at risk of losing its functions as the capital. Thus, countermeasures to prepare for disasters and reduce damage are extremely important tasks of fundamental concern to the nation.
　南海トラフ地震では、死者が３０万人以上、被害額は２００兆円超と予測されている。首都直下地震の死者は２万人以上とされ、首都機能の維持が危ぶまれている。防災・減災対策は、日本の根幹に関わる重要課題と言えよう。

Designated municipalities will each compile and implement a disaster management plan based on the special measures law for dealing with the two projected earthquakes, which was enforced late last year.
　対象の市区町村は、昨年末に施行された両地震の特別措置法に基づき、今後、地域の防災計画を策定し、対策を進める。

But municipalities with weak financial foundations will find limitations in pursuing countermeasures on their own. It is necessary for the government to effectively provide support by putting priority on their projects.
　ただ、財政基盤の弱い市町村は単独での対策推進に限界がある。事業に優先順位をつけ、政府が効率的に支援することが大切だ。

Under the terms of the special measures law, the government will shoulder two-thirds of the costs when municipalities designated for a Nankai Trough earthquake establish shelters to escape tsunami. It will also pay three-fourths of the cost for purchasing land to relocate primary and middle schools.
　特措法の規定では、南海トラフ地震の対象市町村が津波避難施設を整備する際、政府が費用の３分の２を補助する。小中学校の移転については、用地取得費の４分の３が政府負担になる。

In the heart of Tokyo, where a major earthquake is expected to cause major damage, the procedures to approve work to widen roads and to construct or improve parks have been simplified.
　首都直下地震の被害が想定される都心部でも、道路拡幅や公園整備の認可が簡素化されている。

It is hoped that such means of government support will be used effectively.
　こうした政府の支援策を有効に活用してもらいたい。

Local govts unprepared

Those municipalities must tackle a mountain of challenges. For example, only slightly more than 10 percent of cities, towns and villages required to take measures against tsunami have created hazard maps. Nearly 20 percent of the designated municipalities do not have a disaster management radio system for the local government to use.
　取り組むべき課題は山積している。例えば、津波対策が必要な地域で、ハザードマップを作成している市町村は１割強に過ぎない。防災行政無線も、指定された地域の２割近くで未整備だ。

A serious concern is that a number of areas are reluctant to take countermeasures, saying that they cannot possibly take steps when the projected damage is too great to handle.
　予測される被害が大き過ぎるため、対策の立てようがないと、取り組みに消極的な地域があることも深刻な問題である。

In Nagoya, where vast areas are expected to be inundated by tsunami, work to make houses earthquake-resistant has not progressed as hoped. Many residents say they cannot bear the expenses of renovating their houses when they know their homes will be washed away by tsunami.
　津波による広域浸水が予測されている名古屋市では、住宅の耐震化が進まない。住民の間には「津波で流されると分かっていて改修費は出せない」との声がある。

In parts of Shikoku, where tsunami measuring as high as 30 meters would hit as early as four minutes after the quake, some residents have given up all hope of escaping.
　最短４分後に津波が襲来し、最高３０メートル超になると予測される四国の一部地域では、「逃げられない」とあきらめる住民もいる。

Whether residents can survive a disaster hinges upon the steady implementation of countermeasures. The central and local governments should explain the basic principles of disaster management to residents to win their cooperation in this regard.
　着実な対策の実行が、万が一の際の生死を分ける。政府と自治体は防災の基本原則を住民に説明し、協力を得る必要がある。

The Central Disaster Management Council also compiled outlines for taking action against all possible huge earthquakes that could hit various areas across Japan, including the Nankai Trough region and Tokyo.
　中央防災会議は今回、南海トラフ、首都直下地震を含め、各地で起こり得る巨大地震の対策を網羅した大綱もまとめた。

The outlines call for, among others, precautions in the event that the transportation network is paralyzed, dealing with people facing difficulties returning home, and making facilities to be used for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games earthquake-resistant.
　交通網のマヒを防ぐ対策、帰宅困難者への対応、２０２０年東京五輪・パラリンピックに向けた関連施設の耐震性確保などを挙げている。

The central and local governments should act in concert to fully meet such requirements.
政府と自治体が連携し、しっかりと対処せねばならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 29, 2014)
（2014年3月29日01時35分  読売新聞）