“Not enough shelter” disaster and new corona May 22 18:01

The season of heavy rain and typhoon is approaching. What is different from usual summer is the new coronavirus. Now, local governments are worried about how to prevent infection at evacuation centers. It is envisioned that securing a space for each person will significantly reduce the number of people, making it unacceptable. How to save lives from disaster and corona. We interviewed the site to seek. (Akihito Yoshida, Shiho Sato, reporter at Fukushima Broadcasting Station)

"Before Corona" wasn't enough

"The challenges faced by last year's typhoon have become quite severe in Corona ..."

This is a word leaked by a person in charge in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, which suffered a large-scale flooding last year due to the heavy rain of Typhoon No. 19.

Typhoon No. 19 flooded more than 5,700 houses in Iwaki City, killing 9 people.

I (Yoshida) working at the Iwaki branch kept my family at home as the water level in the river in front of them increased. I remember having talked with my wife that it was safer to stay in the room than to evacuate with a baby because it was not a flood area and the room was high enough on the second floor.

About half a year since then. Now, the person in charge of the city is worried about securing evacuation shelters. Because I experienced a serious "shortage of shelters" due to a typhoon last year.

At the time, 8,000 people lived in the Hibakubo area, where the damage was particularly severe, but we were unable to open an evacuation center in the area due to the "expected flooding", and the number of evacuation centers that could be opened in the vicinity The total number was over 3,100. As a result, “capacity over” occurred one after another and refused to accept evacuees, and a series of tragic posts stating “Where to go to a shelter and where to go”.

In Iwaki City, we have set up a verification committee and have been studying securing evacuation centers. The problem of the spread of the new coronavirus, which seems to have sprung there, is deepening our concerns.

Mr. Kusano
"It's no longer just a matter of going to an evacuation center ... The premise has changed."

The dilemma of infection control and reduction of the number of people

The first thing Iwaki City did was to identify the number of people who could enter the shelter. Up to now, the shelter capacity has been calculated based on the general standard widely used nationwide that the occupied area per person is 2 square meters.

On the other hand, the international standard “Sphere Standard”, which sets many guidelines such as sanitation and living environment of evacuation centers, is at least 3.5 square meters, which is almost double.

This time, Iwaki City is trying to secure a space of 2 meters between people with "6 square meters per person" to prevent new coronavirus infection. The number of people accepted at evacuation centers will be reduced to one-third of what it used to be. The situation is worse than it was last year, because the gymnasiums and public halls of elementary and junior high schools designated as shelters cannot be used.

Limited support for exploring the use of private facilities

We have also begun efforts to secure evacuation sites by utilizing private lodging facilities. It is also called "distributed evacuation" because it is divided into multiple evacuation destinations, and the Cabinet Office also requires local governments nationwide.

The city plans to implement discussions with accommodation facilities in the future in response to the cost burden set up by the prefecture, but it can be used only for special measures such as isolating and evacuating people suspected of being infected. There is a possibility.

The capacity of shelters cannot be dramatically increased, and there are challenges.

About 90% of local governments are concerned about evacuation centers

Iwaki City is not the only municipality that is concerned about the acceptance of evacuation centers.

In April, we conducted a questionnaire survey (response from 58 local governments) on how to respond to evacuation shelters in the event of a disaster while the outbreak of new coronavirus infection could not be settled in local governments in Fukushima Prefecture.

Approximately 89% of the 52 municipalities responded that they were “concerned,” and 4 municipalities responded that they could not respond. In addition, 38 local governments answered that it is difficult to secure sufficient distance and area at evacuation centers.

Expert “The space is not the only issue”

Kazuhiko Amano, a professor at Fukushima University who assisted the evacuation shelters in the Great East Japan Earthquake, was not only secure in the evacuation shelter to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, but also the operation system was important. I point out that it is important.

Professor Amano
“Depending on the situation, it may be difficult to accept volunteers from outside the prefecture, and there may be a shortage of administrative staff. Confirmation of disinfection and body temperature in areas such as doorknobs touched by evacuees, suspected infected persons and infections” There is an urgent need to review the management system, such as dealing with people, and it is necessary to confirm how to cooperate with local medical institutions in particular.

Because we can take measures against corona at the shelter

Local governments are beginning to do what they can do now, as the time for measures is limited.

On May 16, Fukushima City was trained to operate an evacuation center while taking measures against the new coronavirus infection.

At the time of temperature measurement at the entrance, I confirmed that there was an interval and confirmed the procedure for emergency transfer of potentially infected people to medical institutions, but it is easy to get crowded near the entrance and exit while avoiding "dense" We also see issues such as the time required to guide them, and we are proceeding with further studies.

Deputy General Manager
Hibida “I'm in the middle of a fumble. I can't wait for a disaster, so I would like to consider measures to reduce the risk of infection so that residents can evacuate with peace of mind.”

In Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, in order to prevent the "3 denseness" of evacuation shelters, we have newly prepared cardboard and sheets that can be used as shelter partitions in the city's disaster prevention warehouse.

In addition, Kanazawa City will have three tents from this year on two tents at 68 evacuation shelters, which will serve as bases for people with symptoms such as fever, and where doctors and public health nurses will provide medical treatment. Is to be used as.

Going to a shelter is not the only evacuation

Iwaki City is also appealing to citizens for a bold “shift of consciousness” ahead of the heavy rain season of the new Corona.

The city's homepage calls for people who are in a safe place not necessarily have to go to an evacuation center, and also consider evacuating to relatives and acquaintances' homes.

"Where is a safe place? I think there are many people who are worried about it, but the Cabinet Office's "Evacuation action judgment flow" was also introduced. According to it, the areas colored by the hazard map of the local government need to "evacuate out of their homes in principle because there is a risk of disaster". Damage has also occurred in places that have not been painted in the past.

The flow warns that "people living in low land or near cliffs need to be evacuated if necessary." He also points out that it is important to consult with them on a regular basis so that they can evacuate to safe relatives and acquaintances' homes.

When staying at home, we encourage you to carefully check your safety and consider measures as follows.

1 There is no danger of collapse even in the case of floods
2 It is at a place higher than the expected inundation
3 There is enough water and food until the water drains
4 It is on the upper floors of a condominium that is sturdy even if there is a risk of sediment disaster

Whichever method you choose, looking into your area before a disaster does not seem to cause you any panic.

At the same time, it is also necessary to consider infection prevention, such as whether the evacuation destination will be "dense".

The importance of "yourself" from the interview

Local government officials are uniformly distressed in responding to evacuation shelters, but on the other hand, they want to evacuate without hesitation in the event of a disaster.

It's not as painful as covering a person who lost an important person to a disaster. The word that everyone said in such interviews was "I didn't think this would happen".

I think that it is necessary to prepare for my problem more than ever, not only relying on the local government, because now the measures against the new coronavirus are required.

Fukushima station Iwaki branch reporter
Akito Yoshida
Joined in 2010

Fukushima Broadcasting Station Reporter
Shiho Sato
Joined in 2016