The government has decided to stockpile about 1,000 sets of cardboard materials by the end of this fiscal year for use as beds and partitions at evacuation centers, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
By securing the necessary amount of materials in advance at the first stage of disaster management, relief supplies can be delivered promptly without waiting for requests from disaster stricken municipalities.
The government sent a total of 3,900 sets of materials to six prefectures, including Fukushima and Nagano, in response to Typhoon No. 19, which devastated large areas in October.
However, it was pointed out that it would take about four to five days for cardboard materials to be delivered to evacuation centers because manufacturers produce them to order.
One of the biggest issues facing evacuees at shelters is how to prevent disaster related deaths, such as those resulting from sleeping on the floor of a gymnasium in a bundle or staying overnight in a car. Compared with wooden floors, cardboard beds are less likely to lose body temperature and absorb dust. And by setting up partitions for each family member, a certain level of privacy can be maintained and their stress could be alleviated to some extent. According to the Cabinet Office, local governments have currently not made progress in stockpiling cardboard materials for evacuation centers compared with food and beverages.
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