Disaster myths after the Great East Japan Disaster and the effects of information sources on belief in such myths

Abstract

This study examines how well disaster myths were rooted in Japanese people after the Great East Japan Disaster, as well as the effects of information sources on these misconceptions. Five common disaster myths are covered (panic, psychological shock, looting, increases in the crime rate, and material convergence), and information sources were divided into two types: public and private. Three hundred participants were asked how much credit they would give the five myths and which information sources they would rely on in post-disaster situations. The results found that, as in Western societies, these disaster myths do exist among Japanese people. Also, only public sources of disaster information, such as television and Internet news websites, had some effect on the degree of belief in disaster myths, while private sources, such as one's family, friends, and social networking sites, did not. Factors affecting the degree to which people believe in disaster myths are also discussed.

Disaster myths among disaster response professionals and the source of such misconceptions

“…The existence of disaster myths was confirmed at least as early as in the 1950s (Fritz & Mathewson, ; Quarantelli, ). Since then, these myths have been found in North America (Quarantelli & Dynes, ; Wenger, ; Wenger et al., ), Europe (Alexander, ; Drury, Novelli, & Stott, ), and East Asia (Nogami, , ; Nogami & Yoshida, ). Although numerous disaster researchers have been contending for more than half a century that disaster myths do not properly reflect actual human behaviour in postdisaster situations (Barton, ; Fritz & Mathewson, ; Quarantelli, , ; Quarantelli & Dynes, , ; Wenger et al., ), these myths still seem widespread among lay people in modern society (Auf der Heide, ; Nogami, , ; Nogami & Yoshida, ; Quarantelli, , ; Rodríguez et al., ; Sandin & Wester, ; Tierney et al., ).…”

“…However, it has been known that the majority of life‐saving activities in the immediate aftermath of a disaster are in fact performed by disaster victims themselves (“zero responders”), who are able to cooperate spontaneously in postdisaster situations (Cocking, ; Cole, Walters, & Lynch, ). In the same vein, many people tend to think that sending relief materials, such as food and clothing, to disaster‐affected areas will be helpful to disaster victims (Nogami, ; Nogami & Yoshida, ). Contrary to this common assumption, such individually sent relief materials often far exceed actual needs of victims, causing several problems in disaster‐affected areas (e.g., a lack of storage space, a huge amount of man power required to handle the incoming materials; Fritz & Mathewson, ; Wenger et al., ; see also a recent example of material convergence in the 2017 London Grenfell Tower fire; ABC News, ).…”

Risk Information Seeking Behavior in Disaster Resettlement: A Case Study of Ankang City, China

“…Peers serve as main and confirmatory sources during bushfires; environmental cues, radio, and agency websites are also important [ 37 ]. For terrorist attacks [ 38 ], tsunami, and earthquakes [ 39 , 40 , 41 ], television and radio are the main sources. Overall, in disasters, public sources of disaster information, such as television and Internet news websites, are more trusted than private sources, such as one’s family, friends, and social networking connections.…”

Mental health and media links based on five essential elements to promote psychosocial support for victims: the case of the earthquake in Chile in 2010

“…Ewart and McLean (2015) note that the classic informative approach will be based on blame, and the media will tend to amplify what is occurring (Kuttschreuter, Gutteling, and de Hond, 2011). Others claim that the media could be responsible for the perpetuation and debunking of myths (Nogami and Yoshida, 2014). Ultimately, as revealed by Nicholls, Sykes, and Camilleri (2010) with respect to the bushfires in Canberra, Australia, in 2003, survivors are affected positively and negatively by the media: 'A very powerful message was that political and legal issues arising from the aftermath of the fire greatly affected people's recovery' (Nicholls, Sykes, and Camilleri, 2010, p. 33).…”