Amidst the excessive heat where the average temperatures have been over 35 degrees C every day, AMDA is carrying on with its relief activities in Soja City and Mabicho in Okayama that were seriously affected by the devastating rain disaster that struck west Japan at the beginning of this month.
-Massage and acupuncture services:
(Okada Elementary and Nursery School, Mabicho)
Five days since the launch, more and more people have been coming to receive AMDA’s massage and acupuncture treatments provided at Okada Elementary and Nursery School. On the 18th, 22 people received the acupuncture service while nine people received the massage. At this point already, some of the evacuees have been coming back to receive the treatment for the second time. People dropping in are not only those who have been seeking shelter at the very school, but also the ones who are staying at the affected homes. The visitors have been increasing by word of mouth. Most of their symptoms are pains around the neck and shoulders, headaches, physical weariness from clearing the debris, as well as fatigue from the unaccustomed and inactive shelter life.
Besides the fact that teenage patients, too, have been increasing, in many cases people had failed to notice their own symptoms before seeing the therapists. But once the treatment begins, therapists can swiftly detect the individual problems and try to ease the physical stress in the most effective way possible. Of course, people who are less keen to receive the acupuncture treatment choose to go with the massage instead. And this is why having both types of treatments makes this effort meaningful where one treatment can complement the other in the disaster relief like this. On the 19th, the services were provided until 6pm and will be continued on the 20th and onwards.
-Health-related assistance for the evacuees:
(Sunwork Soja, Soja City)
As of July 18, 53 people from 20 households have been staying at Sunwork Soja, an evacuation shelter in Soja City. AMDA’s activities include visiting each evacuee to see if one is doing okay, keeping the sanitary conditions inside the shelter, as well as providing health consultations and nursing assistance when required. On the 18th alone, nurses and dieticians took care of 15 people in total. At Sunwork Soja, since many of the evacuees have family members that need nursing care, maintaining their health conditions periodically is a must. Utilizing whatever medical and nursing services available, AMDA’s relief personnel are working closely with the health workers from the municipal government to minimize the occurrence of ill-health which has been fairly well-maintained up until now. On the other hand, both the physical and mental fatigue of those who have been working outside during the day is obviously piling up. The prolonged shelter life is also taking a toll on their bodies and minds.
10 days have passed from the onset of the disaster, and the environment surrounding the evacuees has started to shift, with which a lot of them find that hard to keep up. Things such as regional disparities in the progress of disaster reconstruction, or the launch of a publicly-run temporary-residence program (which one has to apply voluntarily), have been a bit of baffle that put extra burden on them. AMDA’s health-related assistance will be continued on the 20th and onwards.
AMDA’s relief work has been made possible thanks to its partner organizations and medical institutions. Many of them are part of AMDA’s Platform for Great Nankai Trough Disaster in Japan, a disaster platform that enables the collaboration between AMDA, public sector, medical sector and private business sector.