Shelter for Families with Kids Opens after Kumamoto Earthquake
Hikawa, Kumamoto Pref., Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)--An evacuation shelter catering to the needs of pregnant women and families with children has been set up in Hikawa, a town in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, that was hit hard by a major earthquake in late July. The specialized evacuation shelter, the only one of its kind in Kumamoto, was set up on Aug. 6. It offers tents to each househ...
An evacuation shelter specifically designed to meet the needs of pregnant women and families with young children opened in Hikawa, a town in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, following a devastating earthquake in late July. This is the first of its kind in the region.
The shelter, established on August 6, provides individual tents for each household to ensure privacy and serves as a central location for gathering and distributing essential supplies for child-rearing, including powdered milk, baby food, and diapers. Healthcare professionals such as nurses, midwives, and nursery teachers are on hand to provide care.
As of Thursday, 59 individuals from 14 households were residing at the shelter, according to Yoshimi Kamiyoshihara, a nurse from the disaster medical assistance team secretariat at the Japan Institute for Health Security. She has been instrumental in supporting the shelter's launch and operation.
The number of users has been steadily increasing as families are transferred from regular evacuation shelters due to concerns about their noisy children, and others are finding it impossible to continue living in their cars or at home. Kamiyoshihara notes that demand for the specialized shelter is much higher than the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
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