The Evaluation of a Large-Scale Flood-Fighting Exercise: Capacity Development of Flood Fighting in Mie Prefecture, Japan

The importance of flood fighting is becoming increasingly apparent worldwide in the context of climate change. In light of the often-limited conditions and resources available for the deployment of military and professional rescue teams in emergencies, flood-fighting corps that help protect communities from floods have been organized by community members in numerous regions. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which the capabilities of flood-fighting corps and other participating organizations were developed through a field exercise conducted in Japan involving 55 relevant organizations and 1025 participants. The requisite data were obtained through structured in-person interviews with 18 participants playing key roles in the exercise, who were questioned about the effects of the exercise. The findings showed that the exercise achieved three principal outcomes: (1) the strengthening of inter-organizational collaboration, (2) the learning of authentic capabilities by simulating a real-world flood-fighting environment, and (3) an increase in public awareness of flood fighting through extensive public relations efforts. Furthermore, this study concluded that the national government should take a leading role in organizing such large-scale exercises involving multiple organizations with diverse cultural backgrounds and responsibilities in order to generate these outcomes.