Elderly and Disabled Struggled to Evacuate Amid Japan Tsunami Warnings

By Barrier Free Japan

August 2 2025

JAPAN – When tsunami warnings were issued across parts of Japan on July 30, tens of thousands of residents were urged to evacuate coastal areas. However for some elderly and disabled people, evacuation proved either extremely difficult or impossible.

According to The Japan News, around 50,000 residents in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture live in zones where evacuation routes are limited and high ground or tall buildings are out of reach. Despite designated evacuation centers, some residents chose to stay behind due to mobility issues or lack of assistance.

Evacuation guidelines released in July by a committee in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, reaffirmed the general principle that residents should evacuate on foot. However, the guidelines also recognized that elderly individuals and others needing assistance may need to use vehicles to reach safety. How smoothly such evacuations can be carried out remains a critical issue requiring close review.

An 80-year-old woman in Iwaki, caring for her 86-year-old husband who uses a wheelchair, explained her dilemma: “It’s physically impossible for me to push his wheelchair to the local elementary and junior high schools designated as evacuation centers. And there’s no way I’ll go and leave my husband behind.”

In neighboring Iwate Prefecture, evacuation orders were issued to over 50,000 people across 12 municipalities. Yet only about 5,000 people took shelter in the more than 110 evacuation centers set up.