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Press Release April 8, 2011
Re: The first activity report of Miyagi Support Center, Japan Disability Forum (JDF)

To the press, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for all the efforts and concerns on the various issues surrounding persons with disabilities on the daily basis.
We would like to show our heartful concerns to those who suffer from the East Japan Great Earthquake.
Herewith we would like to share the following JDF on-going activity report.

Japan Disability Forum (JDF)

JDF is a network organization on disability founded in 2004, aiming for the right and policy promotion on disability. JDF consists of the following organizations:

  • Japanese Federation of Organizations of the Disabled Persons
  • Japan Federation of the Blind
  • Japanese Federation of the Deaf
  • Japan Council on Disability (JD)
  • Japan National Assembly of Disabled Peoples' International
  • Inclusion Japan
  • Spinal Injuries Japan
  • National Federation of Mental Health and Welfare Party in Japan
  • Japan National Council of Social Welfare
  • Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities
  • Japan National Group of Mentally Disabled People
  • Japan Deaf blind Association
  • All Japan Association of Hard of Hearing People

(Currently 13 member organizations)

Miyagi Support Center

Since many of the persons with disabilities need various support or medical care on the daily basis, it is a big worry how they survive under the severe situation. JDF members set up Miyagi Support Center of JDF HQs for the Support for the Support of Persons with Disabilities affected by the East Japan Great Earthquake on March 30 in Sendai City, and started the support activities toward the restoration and reconstruction from the historical great disaster.

The purposes of the activities at this moment were to grasp the present situation of the home-cared persons with disabilities and their family members, the centers/facilities for persons with disabilities how they are victimized, and what are the emergent needs they have so as to respond them by providing support and coordination, and to collect and share the basic information needed to reconstruct their lives and livelihood hereafter with the JDF members’ and the related organizations.

The first of all, with the support from the Department of Welfare for Persons with Disabilities of Miyagi Prefectural Government, JDF has visited their centers/facilities and the emergency shelters in the most affected areas along the coast to make a hearing survey on the safety and the present situation of the persons with disabilities. The summary of the first 8 day survey result and the details are attached at the end of the report. The report of the “Information Sharing Meeting on East Japan Great Earthquake” held on April 7 is also attached, which JDF organized in Sendai City together with the Miyagi Support Association for Persons with Disabilities affected by the East Japan Great Earthquakes.

Contact

General Secretary

Miyagi Support Center of JDF HQs for the Support of Persons with Disabilities affected by the East Japan Great Earthquake

c/o Sendai Work Campus
5-12-1, Taihaku, Sendai City
(Attention! The Center will be moved in May and the new address will be informed later.)
TEL: 080-4373-6077, 080-4373-6078
TEL/FAX: 022-306-4663
Web site: http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/japanese/JDF_shienhonbu.html


Hearing Survey Report (1) on Victims with Disabilities
JDF Miyagi Support Center, March 31, 2011~April 6, 2011

This survey report is as of April 7, 211, made by visiting 157 centers/facilities for persons with disabilities located in the 21 cities and towns the most severely affected by Tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Summary

Persons with disabilities: Dead: 11, Missing: 3

Their houses: Washed away: 6, Burned: 1, Completely destroyed: 12, Partially destroyed: 23, Intact: 106

  • The persons with disabilities who were reported dead or missing are 14, but at the moment of the Tsunami hit there was no victims among those who were participated in the center/facility services. It tells how the staff took the prompt actions responding to the Tsunami alert. (The death of 2 staff were reported, who came back to the center after guiding the service users to the safe places.) On the other hand, it is very difficult to know the situation of the persons with disabilities who were at home at that time, because there is no clue to get information about their safety. Even the town halls were washed away by the sudden Tsunami. It is estimated that the number of the persons with disabilities grasped their safety is 50% only.
  • Affected building: 30%
    19 buildings for the persons with disabilities were washed away, burned, or completely destroyed.
    *Quick recovery of the buildings as a base for community life is expected.
  • Official as well as private vehicles were damaged. It affects their daily activities such as pickup by lift car or bathing by bathing car, and even commuting of the staff and the victims with disabilities from the emergency shelters.
  • The relief goods are well distributed to each of the center/facility. But the individual demands such as bed for providing care have not yet met. It takes more human power and time to cover them.
  • It becomes easier to get fuels such as gasoline or propane gas, though there is a gap between place to place.
  • Those who were lucky to be escaped from the complete destruction of their houses ask for help to put away the sludge and the scattered furniture. Since there are no other persons to provide care, their family members cannot leave them alone, and need a lot of time to put on/off the equipments for them
  • The workshops are in trouble to provide jobs, since their business partners were also affected by the Tsunami.
    *Public works as emergency support or the new jobs should be secured.

* The aftershock of the big earthquake hit the affected areas at 23:32 April 7. JDF started to survey the influence this morning (April 8).

Statistics

The number of surveyed center/facility for the Persons with Disabilities: 157 They were listed up from the most affected areas. (Watari Town, Natori City, Kurihara City, Minamisanriku machi, Higashimatsuyama City, Tome City, Osaki City, Tagajo City, Sendai City, Ishinomaki City, Matsushima City, Onagawa Town, Shibata Town, Shichigahama Town, Kesennuma City, Iwanuma City, Zao Town, Shiogama City, Marumori Town, Rifu Town)

Victim

User Family Staff Family
Dead 11 21 2 7
Missing 3 5 1 3

Building

Washed
away
Burned Completely
destroyed
Partially
destroyed
intact
6 1 12 23 106

Translated by Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities Volunteer translator:
Ms. Mayumi Yamazaki