Ishiwatari, M (2022) Effectiveness of investing in flood protection in metropolitan areas: Lessons from 2019 Typhoon Hagibis in Japan. International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, 13(1), pp. 89-98. ISSN 1759-5916
Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of investment in flood protection by analyzing the flood disaster caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Japan in October 2019. The typhoon severely damaged the central and eastern Japan regions and threatened the Greater Tokyo area. Design/methodology/approach: The paper examines flood risks in the Greater Tokyo area and reviews how the flood protection systems functioned to protect Tokyo from the typhoon. The hydrological data of rainfall and water levels at major rivers and the operation records of flood control facilities are collected and analyzed. Findings: The study’s major finding is that the flood protection system succeeded in protecting the Greater Tokyo area from flooding. Typhoon Hagibis maintained its power until landing because of climate change and caused record-breaking rainfall. In a worst-case scenario, thousands of people could have died and hundreds of billions USD worth of assets could have been lost in Tokyo. Practical implications: The paper describes the actual effects of the flood protection systems, consisting of dams constructed upstream, reservoirs midstream and diversion channels downstream. Thus, this study’s findings directly relate to practical implications for other countries and cities, which face flood risks under a changing climate. Originality/value: The paper highlights the importance of investing in flood protection by examining actual disasters and providing detailed descriptions of flood protection systems.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | climate change; flood protection; Greater Tokyo area; investment; Japan; Typhoon Hagibis |
| Index terms: | effectiveness, hydrological data, climate change, methodology, reservoir, flooding, face, Japan, rainfall, Tokyo |
| Subjects: | psychology, climate science, data collection methods, environmental hazards, infrastructure and transport systems, Geography, research methods, performance management |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here