Lessons from Japan’s 3.11 Triple Disasters with Dr. Daniel Aldrich

On 11 March 2011 Japan faced the unimaginable: a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, 60+ foot tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns. The tsunami alone took the lives of more than 18,400 people. But survival and recovery were not the same across the Tohoku region where the disasters struck: some communities lost 10% of their population, while others have no casualties. And some cities, towns, and villages rebuilt roads, schools, and homes quickly, while others seem trapped in amber. In this talk Aldrich will investigate why some communities survived and others thrived, looking especially at the social ties and governance of affected communities. 10 years later, Japan’s experiences with the triple disasters provide many lessons in disaster mitigation and management for the rest of the world.

Speaker: Daniel P. Aldrich

Dr. Daniel Aldrich is Director of the Security and Resilience Studies Program and Professor in Political Science and Public Policy at Northeastern University. He has published five books, more than fifty peer reviewed articles, and written op-eds for The New York Times, CNN, Asahi Shinbun, along with appearing on popular media outlets such as CNBC, MSNBC, NPR, and HuffPost. His research has been funded by the Fulbright Foundation, the Abe Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, and he has carried out more than five years of fieldwork in Japan, India, Africa, and the Gulf Coast.

The event will take place, Monday, March 8, 2021 at 7:00 to 8:30 PM EST. To register, click here.