March 2012
Examples of Expressions Used in the Disaster Prevention Administrative Radio System at the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Subsequent Attempt to Introduce Them
Hiroyuki Inoue
The tsunami induced by the Great East Japan Earthquake took the lives of many people, and it has been pointed out that the wording of alerts and evacuation orders as well as the method of delivering them are critically important. Immediately after the quake, some local governments used the imperative form such as “Flee!” to evacuate the residents through the Disaster Prevention Administrative Radio System. It is revealed that this prompted other municipalities to introduce the imperative form. The author reports some examples of imperative-form usages and looks at its effects and challenges.
An example of the imperative form used in the Disaster Prevention Administrative Radio System was already reported in the September issue that featured Ooarai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture, which urged residents to evacuate by using the term “Order to evacuate!” In this issue, the author focuses on Onagawa Town and Ishinomaki City. Both used “Flee!” to alert the residents.
In Onagawa, town officials kept shouting, “Flee!,” through the radio announcement system until the last minute before the town hall went under the water. The tsunami wave was rushing toward part of the town from inland through the river, but, hearing the alert, some residents sensed a grave danger and evacuated for higher ground. It is likely that part of the reason for this prompt action was the unusual usage of colloquial expression “Flee!,” in the Disaster Prevention Administrative Radio System that does not use the imperative form as a general rule, which made some people realize the urgency of the matter.
Meanwhile, looking back the announcement at the time of the earthquake, Kamaishi City is reviewing the wording and considering the introduction of imperative form. The author also reports these ongoing attempts.
Legally, local governments have no authority to “order” the residents to evacuate, but the author discusses the difference between “legal orders” and “imperative form as an expression” based on the cases mentioned in this article.