Synopsis
The Yokohama Disaster Risk Reduction Learning Center (YDRRLC) is Yokohama City’s only hands-on disaster prevention learning facility where visitors can experience various simulations—such as earthquake shaking, initial firefighting, smoke evacuation, and disaster scenarios—to learn the importance of self-help and mutual aid.
This video introduces the initiatives of YDRRLC.
Implementation Period
Since 1983
Stakeholders and Partners
Yokohama City Fire Bureau
Background, Challenges and Objectives
YDRRLC is a center established in 1983 whose main objectives are responding to city disasters in the Yokohama Station area, improving citizens’ disaster risk reduction knowledge and storing emergency supplies and materials. In normal times it operates as a core facility for preparedness promotion, raising awareness about how to help oneself and how to help each other and offering training for people able to carry this out. During large-scale disasters, the center forms a temporary evacuation site with the adjacent Sawatari Central Park and is a first-aid base for victims.
Actions and Implementation
During earthquakes and recent severe weather events like heavy rains and typhoons that cause significant damage, the concept of “self-help”—thinking and acting on their own—is very important. YDRRLC offers two types of experience tours (Earthquake/Fire Experience Tour and Flood/Wind Disaster Experience Tour) and seven types of experience programs. Guided by instructors, these programs provide an easy-to-understand and enjoyable way to learn about disaster prevention and mitigation. Every year, many people visit from neighborhood associations, elementary schools, and corporate employee training programs to experience these contents. The center also holds several large-scale disaster prevention events annually. The experience tours use videos and other materials to teach the actions people must actually take and allow participants to experience creating an evacuation action plan (My Timeline). In addition, augmented reality (AR) is also incorporated to provide experiences that superimpose digital information on real scenery since April 2021.
*My Timeline refers to an individual’s pre-planned, chronological evacuation action plan tailored to their family composition and local environment, prepared for potential future disasters such as typhoons or heavy rain flooding.
Outcomes and Impacts
More information:
https://bo-sai.city.yokohama.lg.jp/en/
(Related materials on YDRRLC can be found at the link above.)
Further Information and Media
Short introductory video about YDRRLC