 | SPECIAL vol.14 Participation in disaster drills enabled my family members to take proper refuge action in the earthquake |
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Participation in disaster drills enabled my family members to take proper refuge action in the earthquake Even before the Great East Japan Earthquake, I had thought that an earthquake would inevitably be followed by a tsunami. Thus, I had taken part in disaster drills in my neighborhood with my family members every year. It seemed very significant for me to practically teach and show my daughter, who has Down syndrome, how to act in case of a disaster. During this recent disaster, all the family members were able to evacuate to the designated site. Thus, I found it useful and good to have joined disaster drills and taken them seriously. I always told a social welfare worker and my neighbors that my daughter was disabled, and that she sometimes had to stay home alone during the day. I also asked them to lend their hands in case of emergency. I knew that an elderly woman lived alone on the first floor in the municipal apartment house. When I was evacuating, I called on her. However, there was no answer, and I kept going my way to the evacuation site. Later, she was found dead at home. People are apt to be thrown into a panic when they themselves have to evacuate without knowing their family members’ whereabouts. The neighbor I had asked to take care of my daughter in an emergency apologized to me later, and tearfully said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything for your daughter, though I was thinking about her. All I could do was to help my family evacuate.” I appreciated her all the more for her consideration. I am sure if any of my neighbors had had enough time to spare during the evacuation, they would have called on my daughter and helped her. Reported by Yukari Yamaguchi Current address: Emergency Temporary Housing at Shichigahama Junior High School the second ground |