Abstract
Measures for river disasters were studied for people who are particularly vulnerable to disaster. This is because many of the victims in past disasters including flood were disaster-vulnerable people and there have been few attempts to clearly establish and implement measures to address this group. Therefore, an interview and a questionnaire survey were conducted on people whose occupations bring them into contact with this demographic on a daily basis: firefighters, welfare commissioners, public health nurses, and home-helpers. The survey covered awareness of the situation of disaster-vulnerable demographic (the elderly, the disabled, pregnant women, etc), previous evacuation support, experience of providing help, predicted behavior in the case of evacuation support, the importance and feasibility of support planning. Using these data, a support system of disaster-vulnerable people is evaluated in the case of floods, and factors hindering support are analyzed. The effectiveness of the proposed plan is examined by clarifying the reasons for the hindrances.
The support situation was understood by method of Event Tree Analysis. Three items that may hinder the smooth flow of the system (recognition of disaster-vulnerable people, and support provided by supporters, acceptance of evacuation recommendation) were selected as the diagnostic criteria. We clarified the current situation of the items and the reasons for hindrance by using the results of interviews and a questionnaire survey. This research confirmed that the system led by public health nurses is effective. They understand the broadness of the category of disaster-vulnerable people, and the number of disaster-vulnerable people recognized by them is higher than recognition of such people by any other group. It is believed that they will play an important role in establishing the future support system.
The plan to let disaster-vulnerable people evacuate at the early stage of flood disaster is considered effective. Because the further the disaster proceeds, the greater is the danger to disaster-vulnerable people, and evacuation becomes harder. It is thought difficult to cover every disaster-vulnerable person. Therefore, those who can evacuate with a limited amount of support are expected to start doing so early by themselves. This is also meaningful because it reduces the burden on supporters and it supports disaster-vulnerable people who have not been recognized. For the purpose of carrying forward the plan, it is important to improve the environment and systems for evacuation, such as by solving physical or mental problems and the financial burden of evacuation, administrative and legal issues.
