Due to this record heavy rain, a woman on the civil welfare committee who seems to have gone home at the request of an elderly person living alone in Nagasaki Prefecture was involved in a flood and died.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has notified the whole country that in areas where evacuation is being called for, the local welfare officers do not carry out activities such as watching over the area and leave the response to the local government.
On the 14th of this month, in Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture, while an "emergency safety assurance" of alert level 5 was issued, Fumiko Tazaki, a civil welfare officer who was asked by an elderly person living alone in the neighborhood to "come because she is scared". (70) was later found dead with the elderly around the irrigation canal.
In response to this, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued an urgent notice to civil welfare officers nationwide to prioritize their own safety in the event of a disaster.
The notification asks the local government to take care of the situation, even if it is necessary to watch over the people requiring support, while the evacuation information is being issued by the local government.
Specifically, it is assumed that the police and fire department will respond.
According to the federation made up of civil welfare officers, 56 civil welfare officers who were involved in evacuation guidance for people requiring support have died even in the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Mr. Manabu Sako, the secretariat of the federation, said, "I am very sad because I think it is the result of Mr. Tazaki acting with a strong sense of mission for the community. It is most important to decide the role in advance between them. "
Local welfare officer Guidelines for disasters “Prioritize your own safety”
According to the residents in the neighborhood, Fumiko Tazaki, who died, was a former nurse who took good care of her and went to the home of an elderly person living alone in the area to take care of her surroundings.
One of the residents said, "It's more than a pity to have had such an event with kindness."
In addition, a woman who used to be a civil welfare officer in another district said, "Mr. Tazaki was responsibly serving as a civil welfare officer. I think he was trying to deliver it to the evacuation center by car at that time as well." I was talking.
The Federation of Children's Committees of All National Welfare Committees is working to ensure the safety of the local welfare officers after the death of 56 civil welfare officers who were involved in confirming the safety of the elderly and supporting evacuation guidance in the Great East Japan Earthquake. Was formulated.
The guideline states that "the civil welfare officer is not an expert in disaster response, but one of the residents living in the area, so he cannot and should not play many roles."
On top of that, as points to keep in mind in the event of a disaster, give top priority to the safety of your family, cooperate with local residents and local organizations, and consult with the government to decide in advance how to share information in the event of a disaster. It lists things to keep in mind.
Manabu Sako, the secretariat of the All-National Student Committee Children's Committee, pointed out that "in the event of a disaster, it is necessary to raise awareness not only of the local welfare officers but also of the local community." I am.