A Look at Disaster Preparedness : Reality Check[MAMA AMIA! Surviving Japan]

A message of all foreigners living in Japan: From Mama Amia
A survival column to you in Japan–those working so hard, trying, sometimes succeeding and other times not–words of encouragement along with a strict “buck up” from your home-away-from-home mother-figure. Mama Amia shares everything from mental health survival tips to how to take out the trash. Come back to this column regularly for your virtual check-up. (Japanese readers welcome as well!)

Today She is talking about “A Closer Look at Disaster Preparedness: Reality Check”.

A Closer Look at Disaster Preparedness: Reality Check

That last typhoon. I was out of the country so I missed it. As I write this, I don’t know the extent of damage from things left on my balconies. Are they still there? Did they break windows? I’ll know soon enough.

Japan is a country of disasters: tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, mudslides, floods, etc. Every year it’s something. Every year it’s worse. So, let’s talk about the details. There are steps you can take to be safe.

1  Disaster kit

You’ve read about these and maybe even have one. Allow me to add a few things in here that you may have missed. This comes from experience.

First, you need to decide how much you can reasonably carry. I recommend a backpack. Not a large one, but one that you normally carry around. This means you’ll need to be selective in what goes in the backpack.

Second, have a separate kit that’s NOT a backpack. This is where you go all out. This is the stuff that stays behind as you evacuate out of your home. You’ll hopefully be able to come back to this.

The wet wipes are your bath or shower until you have access to water. Yes, they will dry out if you leave the packet open but that’s why you have extra water. A few drops of water will remoisten the wipes and you can use them again.

Gum is your toothbrush. It also keeps your mouth salivating and this prevents dry mouth and cracked lips.

The chocolate-covered espresso beans are your caffeine. If you’re not a coffee or tea drinker, skip it. If you get a headache if you don’t drink coffee, without these beans you’ll have a full-blown migraine in three days.

This isn’t a comprehensive list. You obviously need food and lots of it. The nuts or peanut butter, and the canned fish is your protein. If you’re vegan or allergic to any of these this doesn’t apply. Go to your supermarket and think through what’s there that won’t go bad and that will fill you up.

2  Know your evacuation shelters in your area

Know your evacuation shelters in your area. But, obviously, this only makes sense if you’re IN your area when the disaster hits. As noted by the outrage (rightfully so) about two homeless that were turned away from a shelter because they weren’t from the local ward, evidently you need to be prepared to be turned away if you’re somewhere other than where your address registers you? I want to believe this was an isolated incident–the land of omotenashi this is–but duley note: You may not be welcome. Be smart and think on your feet. Have ID.

Be prepared to have your pet refused entry. Know ahead of time which shelters accept pets if you’re going to take yours along. You should note, you’re responsible for your pets hygiene and food. You don’t get to ask for extra water or food just because you didn’t prepare. Pet waste? Yours to clean up. Don’t ask for extra wipes. You brought it in, you clean up after it.

3  Consider leaving the country

Consider leaving the country. In March 2011 when the earthquake and tsunami struck and a large number of foreigners left the country, the phenomenon was called Fly-jin. Tasteless tactic on the part of the Japanese media, but still valid: If you aren’t comfortable with your safety in Japan, consider leaving.

There’s a lot to be said about preparedness and this post alone doesn’t do it justice. It’s also an area I’m intimately familiar with having worked for seven years in the Tohoku region after the March 2011 disaster. I’ll post more on this again in the future. In the meantime, make those kits!

ママ・アミア（MAMA AMIA）

料理人・タレント。日本育ちのアメリカ人。18歳で渡米、通訳やコンサルティング業に従事する。2011年、東日本大震災を受けて退職し、陸前高田市にてボランティアを開始。7年にわたり数々のメディアを通して世界に被災地の情報発信を続ける。2014年には岩手県知事から表彰、2018年には在サンフランシスコ日本総領事館から総領事表彰を授与された。
別名「Pie Queen」。ハードなボランティア活動で心が疲弊していたある日、故郷の食べ物——バターと砂糖が焼けるパイの香りに癒やされることに気づき、パイの販売を始める。2019年より「ママ・アミア」の名で活動開始。日本在住外国人のママとして元気を発信中。相撲が大好き。
所属事務所Profile

Food consultant/Talent. American born and raised in Japan. Returned to the US at age 18 for university, and continued on as an interpreter and US-Japan consultant. Came back to Japan in 2011 to volunteer in the aftermath of the Tohoku disaster and stayed on in Rikuzentakata (Iwate Prefecture) for seven years. Raised funds, liaised with major international media outlets for coverage of the city and region. One of the primary sources of information on the disaster region for foreigners. Recognized and awared by the Governor of Iwate in 2014 and the Consul General of the Japanese Consulate of San Francisco in 2018 for the work and dedication to promoting awareness. Also known as the PieQueen. Found the scent of baked goods was both food for the soul as well as emotionally therapeutic, she began a business selling American-style pies. Working as Mama Amia as of 2019 promoting cooking and baking using traditional Japanese ingredients and offering advice to foreigners in Japan as "your mother in Tokyo". Big fan of sumo.