“One month after Typhoon Hagibis, the 19th typhoon of the season and some of the victims spending time at evacuation centers are disabled. The unfamiliar environment is filled with hardships due to their disabilities, and is causing them fatigue.”
“While a significant proportion of those who died in vehicles were young, many of those who died inside their homes were elderly.”
“The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Tuesday that 26 nursing homes and group homes for elderly people with dementia in seven prefectures remain damaged after flooding. Some elderly residents have been forced to move multiple times during evacuation, which has had an adverse impact on their health.”
“It was decided that staying in the facility was safer than moving a weak elderly person to an unequipped place. However, as the typhoon approached, the river overflowed with water and became more serious than expected.”
“The Miyagi Prefecture hospital still has no running water and is unable to use its X-ray imaging equipment and magnetic resonance imaging machines.”
“It is not unusual to find emergency shelters equipped only with traditional squat toilets, which can be difficult to impossible to use for disabled people and elderly evacuees with leg and hip problems.”
“The designation is made for extraordinary and very severe disasters that destroy or damage a great number of houses and disrupt transport and vital services in wide areas so that impacts on afflicted individuals and businesses are minimized.”
“The Deputy Director of the Tokyo Fire Department, Hirofumi Shimizu apologized, saying, “I ’m sorry. I ’ll confirm the cause and try to prevent recurrence and restore trust.”
Barrier Free Japan