2025 Volume 28 Issue 2 Pages 40-48
Objective: To examine the attitudes of older people living in public housing toward continuing their daily lives in the event of a major earthquake.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine older residents of Apartment A, a public housing complex where an earthquake of seismic intensity 6 or higher is expected to occur in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The data were analyzed qualitatively and descriptively.
Result: Six categories were extracted from the analysis: ［Past disaster experiences shape current preparedness］, ［Want to continue living at the same place despite toilet concerns and the risk of collapse］, ［The fact that many residents have high daily support needs is a problem in itself］, ［Overwhelmed with their own problems during an emergency］, ［Support each other during an emergency by making connections］, and ［Maintaining physical mobility is the key to disaster preparedness］.
Discussion: Although the older residents of Apartment A are aware of the risk of the building collapsing in a disaster, they expect to continue living in public housing with some support, suggesting the possibility that they may become isolated if their means of mobility is restricted. Therefore, in the event of a major earthquake disaster, the possibility that many older people may choose to shelter in place should be taken into account when considering disaster response, and public support is necessary for mutual aid including daily encouragement of self-help by support organizations, daily relationship building among residents, disaster prevention plans, and the establishment of post-disaster information gathering systems.
