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This was a widespread event impacting three prefecture jurisdictions
with little available space, Wachtendorf explains. Where to sort the
debris? Where to put in place temporary housing, let alone permanent
housing? How the nuclear meltdown has impacted the resources needed?
This complex catastrophe continues to challenge the country months
later, and we have much to learn from their experiences.
Because of ongoing collaborations between the DRC and Center for Disabilities Studies
examining emergency preparedness training for people with disabilities
in Delaware, Wachtendorf was particularly interested in the disasters
impact on those with disabilities, including frail elders, who we heard
a lot about, and non-elders with a range of impairments, who we heard
very little about.
Officials in Japan had very little information on the actual
experiences of people with physical disabilities, and particularly those
with cognitive and developmental impairments, she says.
In the tsunami-affected areas of Miyagi Prefecture, for example, more
than 53,000 individuals had been previously identified as having
disabilities, but the Japan Disability Forum was only able to contact
1,386 of those individuals as of June 17. Although routine registries
were in place for those who receive disability-related government
assistance, many jurisdictions were reluctant to share information with
social welfare organizations because of privacy restriction concerns.
Without an ability to track persons with disabilities after this
disaster, social welfare organizations, researchers and advocates were
unable to determine what is happening with large numbers of disaster
survivors who live with disabilities, Wachtendorf says.