In the Great East Japan Earthquake, over 90% of
the approximately 20,000 fatalities (including those
still officially listed as “missing”) died from drowning,
not the earthquake itself (Cabinet Office, 2011).
Even in some regions known to be at high risk of tsunami
incursion, residents had more than 10 minutes to
evacuate before flooding began; also, residents of
southern Miyagi Prefecture had almost an hour (Japan
Meteorological Agency, 2011). The tremendous damage
inflicted provides a clear example of how convincing
residents to rapidly evacuate is among the
greatest challenges in disaster risk management