Users and Families of Wajima City Facility for Disabled Evacuated to Aichi Prefecture

From NHK

January 31 2024

Wajima City, Ishikawa Pref – On January 30th, users of a facility for the disabled in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was hit by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and their families evacuated to a facility in Aichi Prefecture, together with the staff who had been supporting them.

A total of 19 people, including users and family members of a facility for people with disabilities run by the social welfare corporation Kowa-kai in Wajima City, as well as support staff, moved from Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, where they had been staying temporarily since the earthquake, to a facility in Aichi Prefecture on January 30th.

People with disabilities have difficulty accepting changes in their environment, and in some cases they become unstable when they change their place of residence or staff.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, one of the reasons why evacuation for people with disabilities does not progress in wide-area evacuation is that they cannot receive care from the same support staff, and it is rare for a group of people to evacuate together with staff as in this case.

The facility where the evacuees will be housed is equipped with barrier-free toilets and baths, and will be operated by the Aichi Prefecture Welfare Association for the Mentally Handicapped as a welfare evacuation center.

In addition to the staff who evacuated with the users, staff from facilities in Aichi and Mie prefectures will also support their daily lives. The staff shared information on how to talk to each user according to his/her characteristics and on food.

A male user said, “The earthquake has changed my life 180 degrees, and I am anxious. I want to return to Wajima after living here for a while.

Kazuhiro Une, president of the social welfare corporation Kowa-kai, said, “I am grateful for the kindness and acceptance. The disabled, who are vulnerable to changes in their environment, will be less damaged if they can evacuate with their families and people they are used to. We are still in a state of confusion, but we hope to get our lives in order as soon as possible.