Learning from Macau’s disaster preparedness, with a focus on non-structural measures

A research team led by Professor Yasushi Takagi of the Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, School of Environment and Society, Institute of Science Tokyo, conducted field surveys immediately after three typhoons that caused major damage in Macau between 2017 and 2025 (Typhoon Hato in 2017, Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, and Typhoon Ragasa in 2025), and analyzed year-to-year changes in government responses during typhoons and residents’ evacuation behavior.

＜Key points＞
• Investigated disaster countermeasures in Macau, where large-scale typhoon damage has occurred repeatedly in recent years, from both non-structural and structural perspectives.
• Macau residents’ evaluations of the government’s typhoon response have improved, and swift action that prioritizes safety above all has contributed to greater peace of mind among residents and increased trust in the government.
• In particular, non-structural measures have been strengthened rapidly, offering useful insights for Japan’s storm-surge countermeasures, which tend to emphasize structural measures.

These research findings were published on April 19, 2026, in the international academic journal “International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.”

*This page is an excerpt reprinted from the “News” section of the Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering website. For details, please visit the URL below.
https://educ.titech.ac.jp/tse/news/2026_06/069666.html