Protecting significant and sensitive facilities

The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) was a multi hazard event. A massive quake triggered a series of tsunamis of unprecedented dimension, as well as the subsequent nuclear accident. Sensitive facilities need to be protected against low-probability and complex events because damage to such facilities can have a cascading effect, multiplying the destruction and leading to irreversible human, social, economic, and environmental impacts. The GEJE was a massive disaster triggered by the largest earthquake ever recorded in the history of Japan. Furthermore, destruction of sensitive facilities, such as a nuclear power station and industrial facilities, led to cascading damages and serious social, economic, and environmental impacts. The cascading effects of the GEJE revealed the weakness of Japanese disaster risk management (DRM) systems in the face of low-probability, high-impact events, and highlighted the importance of protecting sensitive facilities against disasters of any scale.