Prof: 'Graying Japan' will influence rebuilding, disaster recovery
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Any disaster area has its own characteristics that emerge when rebuilding, and one of Japan's challenges will be its large, older population, says a Purdue University expert.
"The elderly always comprise a more vulnerable population during a disaster because they often have greater needs such as mobility issues, special medications and problems with body temperature regulation," says Daniel P. Aldrich, an assistant professor of political science who studies disaster recovery and social networks that are part of rebuilding. "The coastal areas of Japan most affected by the earthquake and tsunami also tend to be older towns because many of the young people have moved to urban areas where jobs are located."
Some 22.9 percent of Japan's population is older than 65, according to the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook. In comparison, 13.1 percent of the U.S. population is older than 65.
"Because of this older population, many observers wonder how that will affect rebuilding these coastal communities," Aldrich says. "Many of these individuals may have physical restrictions that prevent them from engaging in rebuilding, and these communities were not economically viable to begin with.
"Many of these older adults may decide to move in with their children in urban areas, which will mean fewer people are left to rebuild. This migration could also significantly affect social relationships and networks for these elderly people as well as their adult children."
It also could begin a new era or building boom as traditional small spaces in urban areas now need to make room for aging parents, he says. Moving to an urban area can be expensive, and for those who cannot afford it, another option is government-supported housing, which was offered after the 1995 Kobe earthquake.
"Looking back, we think hundreds of elderly died unnecessary after the Kobe earthquake because their needs weren't met at evacuation shelters. The survivors who were relocated were separated from their friends and community networks, and they also struggled. My concern for today's older population today is that they are not as tech savvy as younger people, and many may not have access to cell phones, the Internet or text messaging. This is something policymakers and others need to consider when working with and assisting these older individuals."
Aldrich, who was a visiting scholar at the University of Tokyo's Law Faculty, studied recovery efforts in Tokyo after the 1923 earthquake and in Kobe, Japan, after the 1995 earthquake, as well as the southeast India coast that was hit by a tsunami in 2004. He was a professor at Tulane University when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August 2005 and is working with colleagues at Louisiana State University to study disaster recovery after the hurricane, as well as after the April 20 oil spill. Aldrich, who speaks Japanese, is author of the book "Site Fights: Divisive Facilities and Civil Society in the Japan and the West" and the forthcoming book "Building Resilience: Social Capital in Disaster Recovery."
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Daniel P. Aldrich, 765-494-4190, daldrich@purdue.edu
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