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A healthy community is a community resilient to disaster. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction considers disaster impacts on health and encourages the implementation of disaster medicine and access to mental health services. Life expectancy (LE) is a basic statistic that indicates public health achievements and social development, including the health system, infrastructure, and accurate vital statistics. Thus, we hypothesized that LE corelates with disaster risk and strategies to achieve long LE can help achieving disaster risk reduction. We compared the disaster risk obtained from Index for Risk Management (INFORM) with the LE of both genders at birth to identify which component of INFORM risk correlates with LE. A correlation analysis revealed that overall INFORM risk negatively correlated with LE. The natural hazard category did not correlate with LE, but the human hazard category, vulnerability, and lack of coping capacity negatively correlated with LE. In the vulnerability dimension, indicators of socioeconomic vulnerability, health conditions, and children U5 negatively correlated with LE. In the lack of coping capacity dimension, indicators of communication, physical infrastructure, and access to health care negatively correlated with LE. Japan has achieved the longest LE and a low INFORM risk because of its lower vulnerability and reduced lack of coping capacity, including healthrelated indicators. In a cluster analysis of LE and INFORM categories of risk, we divided countries into four clusters and found categories that could be improved. Compared with another global disaster risk index, the Word Risk Index (WRI), the INFORM risk index seems to represent the overall disaster risk better, though they have different aspects of risk evaluation. The WRI is also negatively correlated with LE, supporting our hypothesis. In conclusion, LE is an important indicator of disaster risk and strategies to achieve long LE can be effective and important strategies in disaster risk reduction.

(1) Background: We aim to examine whether people activate initial protection behavior, adopt evacuation behavior, worry about the possibility of a tsunami, and consider natural hazard-triggered technological (Natech) situations in a sudden-onset earthquake. The literature suggests that risk perception is a significant predictor of people’s response to potential Natech threats. We aim to empirically verify the variables relating to people’s responses. (2) Methods: We conducted a household survey following a January 2018 earthquake in Indonesia. (3) Results: Immediately after the earthquake, almost 30% of the respondents assembled at the evacuation point. However, sequential steps of people’s response were not observed: evacuation immediately after the earthquake was due to worry about the possibility of a tsunami, but this worry was not related to Natech damage estimation. The relevant factors for evacuation behavior were information access, worry about the possibility of a tsunami, and knowledge of groups and programs related to disaster risk reduction (DRR). The survey location (two villages), perceived earthquake risk, and DRR activity participation are less relevant to the behavior of assembling at the evacuation point. (4) Conclusions: Contrary to the existing literature, our results do not support that higher risk perception is associated with evacuation behavior, or that immediate evacuation is related to foreseeing cascading sequential consequences.

Complex disasters may occur as a result of a natural disaster combined with an industrial or a technological disaster. These are also called “natural-hazard triggered technological (natech) disasters.” Currently, there is increasing awareness of the hazards of these natech disasters. Natural disasters could trigger a technological disaster including oil spills and the release of hazardous and flammable materials and toxic chemicals, causing cascading events. The impact of the damage on public health and safety could be catastrophic, as it may result in massive loss of life, environmental destruction, and asset and property loss. Moreover, it could cause business disruptions and affect a country’s reputation. This paper describes a case study on the application of disaster risk reduction and management for natech disasters in Cilegon, Indonesia. We introduce the analysis of risk assessment conducted in Cilegon, the preparedness of the Cilegon City government, a contingency plan that has been developed, and the state of disaster preparedness in industrial zones. Natural and technological disaster risks as well as several emergency preparedness efforts are discussed and multiple stakeholders are identified. The paper serves as a foundation for future research to address natech disasters.