"#DoNotEraseDisabledPeople" Disaster Guidelines for People with Disabilities
First, I would like to express my deepest condolences to those who lost their lives in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture that occurred on January 1, 2024, and my heartfelt sympathy to all those affected by the disaster.
People with disabilities face a great many difficulties during disasters.
Heralbony has compiled guidelines and useful information for people with disabilities to use in evacuation centers on note. At the same time, we are launching the"#DoNotEraseDisabledPeople" project.
"I thought about taping my daughter's mouth shut because she was screaming."
This is what a family member said after taking refuge in an evacuation center with their daughter, who has a severe intellectual disability, following the Great East Japan Earthquake; they were physically and mentally exhausted by her nightly screaming and eventually left the shelter.
Many people with disabilities were expelled from evacuation centers and forced to return to their partially destroyed homes or seek shelter with relatives.
Disabled people had disappeared from the evacuation centers.
Right now, at this very moment during the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, people with disabilities must be experiencing significant confusion due to changes in their living environment.
If we can provide appropriate and reliable information to those struggling with the changes caused by a disaster,
and promote communication with different types of people,
perhaps some lives can be saved.
Perhaps we can overcome these difficult times together in evacuation centers.
So that disabled people do not disappear.
There are certainly people with disabilities among those affected by the earthquake that occurred on the Noto Peninsula.
To ensure that not only the individuals themselves but also many others know the information that people with disabilities truly need in disaster-stricken areas and evacuation centers, we are launching the"#DoNotEraseDisabledPeople" project on social media.
There is a limit to what those who are not personally affected can imagine. To deliver the voices of not only those with disabilities but also many others regarding what information is truly necessary and what they are struggling with,we are widely soliciting information on social media. We also plan to publish a special page based on this information. We are also accepting requests for additional information that should be included.
Please send your information to the official Heralbony X account (@heralbony) with the hashtag "#DoNotEraseDisabledPeople".
#DoNotEraseDisabledPeople
Disaster information
for people with disabilities
We have compiled guidelines and useful information for people with disabilities who face difficulties in evacuation centers and other locations. We have included items such as "Disaster Communication Boards." Please use them to protect precious lives.
"Talking" to people in need
"Disaster Communication Board" useful for talking to people in needDisaster Communication Board"
How to use: Used for communicating by pointing at pictograms with people who have intellectual disabilities, autism, etc., foreigners, or those who do not understand the language, cannot speak, or have unclear pronunciation.
Disaster Communication Board
"Knowing" the characteristics of disabilities and how to respond
"Disaster Prevention Card" for learning about disability characteristics and response methods from the families of those affectedDisaster Prevention Card"
How to use: An information sheet to help understand the characteristics of people with disabilities and make it easier to provide support. It is useful to have the family members or others concerned fill it out.
Disaster Prevention Card
"Communicating" with people with developmental disabilities
A resource that can be used to explain situations and promote understanding during a disaster for people with developmental disabilities such as autism: "Disaster Prevention and Support Handbook for People with Autism"
How to use:
The following pages contain materials that make it easy to explain the current situation to people with disabilities.
P12... Daily life changes during a disaster
P14... What an evacuation center is like
P16... Life at an evacuation center will be like this
P24... Mental care for family members
Disaster Prevention and Support Handbook for People with Autism
"Noticing" the difficulties
Information useful for supporters to learn about developmental disabilities and provide support based on individual characteristics: "Disaster Prevention Handbook"
How to use:
Chapter 2
P19... Summary of difficulties faced by people with developmental disabilities during a disaster
P20-... Specific examples of support
"Disaster Prevention Handbook"
"Obtaining information" by disability type
How to use:
Depending on the disability, disaster response measures are explained in an easy-to-understand manner for both the individuals themselves and their supporters.
People with visual impairments or deaf-blindness
People with hearing impairments
People with physical disabilities
People with mental disabilities
People with intellectual disabilities
People with developmental disabilities
People with higher brain dysfunction
People with internal disabilities, intractable diseases, and others
Elderly people with dementia, bedridden conditions, etc.
These activities are carried out in consultation with organizations representing people with disabilities. Moving forward, we plan to continue our work in collaboration with these organizations to ensure the credibility of information and to take meaningful action. New information will be shared through our official social media accounts and press releases.