GOMEZ Oscar A.    Department   Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University  College of Asia Pacific Studies    Position   Associate Professor
Language	English
Publication Date	2012/11
Type	Research paper (Academic/Professional Journal)
Peer Review	Peer reviewed
Title	Human security in the aftermath of March 11th tsunami: different levels of empowerment in provisional shelters in coastal Miyagi
Contribution Type	Joint Work
Journal	Journal of Human Security Studies
Volume, Issue, Page	1(2),pp.109-123
Author and coauthor	Souza, P. and Gómez, O.A.
Details	This paper reviews interactions between affected coastal communities and security providers four months after the Great East Japan Earthquake using human security as a tool for analysis. Six questions for human security analysis proposed by Gomez (2011) served for the inquiry: “What are the threats?”; “Security of which values?”; “Whose security?”; “What are the means to provide security?”; “Who is the provider of security?”; “How much security?” Applying such questions (especially the latter three) on 3 communities under different conditions of insecurity in the municipalities of Minamisanriku and Kesennuma enabled us to shed light on the means, providers and calculations (‘How much security’) which aided them most while facing the havoc wreaked by the series of disasters. Interviews with stakeholders at the sites served as valuable input to understand how the communities organized and protected themselves, as well as the means they used to voice their needs effectively to possible security providers. To guarantee the survival and minimum living standards of the victims until a sense of normalcy is regained, we conclude that a high level of communication among security providers is essential, giving way--as much as possible--to an environment where community empowerment takes place, though bearing in mind the effects such empowerment may cause in the community. Moreover, from the perspective of the disaster victims, i.e. people-centeredness within human security, delivery of the necessary security appears more important than the character of the security provider.
ISSN	2432-1427