Earthquakes, which are sudden shaking or trembling of the ground caused by movements within the Earth's crust, have profound implications for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Earthquakes can disrupt SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), as they often cause significant infrastructural damage and displace populations, highlighting the need for resilient and safe urban spaces. They also intersect with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) due to potential injury, loss of life, and psychological trauma, emphasizing the importance of emergency health services. In relation to SDG 13 (Climate Action), earthquakes underscore the urgency of disaster risk reduction as a part of climate resilience strategies. Additionally, the displacement and disruption caused by earthquakes can exacerbate inequality and poverty (SDG 1 and SDG 10), particularly impacting vulnerable populations.
After a massive disaster, many residents in affected areas are forced to temporarily stay in evacuation shelters. The exact impact of the state of resource supply and infrastructure in evacuation shelters on the health status of evacuees has not been sufficiently studied. Two weeks after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), comprehensive surveillance related to the health status and hygiene level was performed for all evacuation shelters (328 shelters with 46,480 evacuees at the peak) in one of the most devastating medical zones after the tsunami hit the area (Ishinomaki City).
Earthquakes and Sustainable Infrastructure, Neodeterministic (NDSHA) Approach Guarantees Prevention Rather Than Cure, 2022, Pages 77-95
D. Sugawara, Chapter 10 - Lessons from the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami: implications for Paleotsunami research, Editor(s): Tsunemasa Shiki, Yoshinobu Tsuji, Teiji Yamazaki, Futoshi Nanayama, Tsunamiites (Second Edition), Elsevier, 2021, Pages 155-181, ISBN 9780128239391,
Disasters impacts on urban environment are the result of interactions among natural and human systems, which are intimately linked each other. What is more, cities are directly dependent on infrastructures providing essential services (Lifeline Systems, LS). The operation of LS in ordinary conditions as well as after disasters is crucial. Among the LS, drinking water supply deserves a critical role for citizens. The present work summarizes some preliminary activities related to an ongoing EU funded research project.
