Disaster Prevention Education: Combining Scientific Understanding of Disasters with Knowledge of Disaster Mitigation Strategies

Abstract: Himeji Higashi High School is located near the epicenter of the 1995 Southern Hyogo Earthquake. The occurrence of these tragedies stresses the necessity to scientifically understand disasters and develop and implement disaster prevention actions at both the individual and societal levels. It is our belief that we cannot properly prepare for or mitigate disasters without understanding how and why they occur. Such knowledge is gained through Earth science education, which synthetically interweaves all three natural sciences to facilitate a deeper theoretical comprehension of natural disasters. Himeji Higashi’s Super Science High School program aims to provide interdisciplinary scientific education to foster students’ comprehensive understanding of natural phenomena and consolidate their related learning. Students learn by selecting specific subjects of disaster prevention and mitigation to study. In addition, students understand the mechanisms of natural disasters in class and experience disasters through museum training. A questionnaire was administered to the students upon completion of the program. The results showed that indicates the program is promising and may have had a positive impact on students. More than 85% of students were satisfied with our educational program, and we can expect that they will understand nature and work for disaster prevention and mitigation themselves. 

Key words: Southern Hyogo Earthquake, Natural Science, disaster prevention, disaster mitigation