ABSTRACT
Japan has average 20 typhoons passing every year, causing heavy rain, floods and landslides across the country. Not all typhoons bring significant impact to communities and this makes many people not to prepared enough. However this perception needs to change. Looking at recent natural hazards, it is understood that all communities in Japan have risks of floods that threaten many people’s lives. In recent years, 2004 was one of the worst and a wake-up call that affected the driest city of Japan. Three typhoons that consecutively hit Japan brought huge damages to cities in 2004. In this chapter, focusing on Seto Inland sea area, where record-breaking storm surge largely affected urban systems, the author discusses the response of authorities and communities, the recovery process and measures to enhance preparedness. The author presents results of questionnaire survey and interviews with residents conducted in city of Takamatsu.
