Abstract
This article focuses on the dynamics of using numbers to construct an image of social reality in disaster areas. Numbers are neither objective nor value-neutral but are rather generated, transmitted and shared with social signification. In other words, numbers can be thought of as simply socially constructed information. Statistics and other numbers usually work in positive ways. However, it is also possible that using numbers in the media can lead to unintended messages that could produce negative consequences. We conducted field studies in disaster-stricken areas of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China and compared findings to the case of the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan in order to examine how numbers—in terms of the amount of donations, the timeline of reconstruction projects and casualty figures—construct social reality and cause a variety of social dysfunctions.
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Notes
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 (M7.3) devastated much of the Hanshin area, including Kobe city and Awaji island in Japan. Over 6,000 people were crushed to death by furniture or by debris from collapsed buildings. The economic damage was estimated at 10 trillion Japanese yen.
Refer to Bateson’s idea of the ‘meta-message’ (Nomura 2008).
Article 84 of the Building Standards Act states that if a disaster occurs in an urban area, certain authorities can encourage victims to refrain from rebuilding their housing for a month in order to allow time for urban planning, thus preventing disorderly development. An additional 1 month can be allowed, depending on circumstances.
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Acknowledgements
First of all, we would like to pray for victims of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and express our sincere gratitude to all those who helped us to complete this study. In the devastated area, Mr. Yoshitsubaki of CODE (Citizens towards Overseas Disaster Emergency), who has warm feelings and full passion, supported us devotedly. DRI (Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution) researchers twice went together to conduct field studies. We would also like to thank Mrs. Carla TAKAKI, University of California in Santa Cruz. Without her help, this study could not have been completed.
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Kondo, S., Yamori, K., Atsumi, T. et al. How do “numbers” construct social reality in disaster-stricken areas?: a case of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, China. Nat Hazards 62, 71–81 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-0038-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-011-0038-8