A PHOTO ESSAY BY SABRINA TIONG

DISASTER READY

The Ishinomaki Senshu University had 200 tonnes of potable water stored on its roof, a room full of canned meat, instant rice, toilet paper, blankets and an emergency generator. It is also common for schools and large organisations to store emergency supplies that would last for three days when help would arrive. But no one was prepared for March 11.

Supplies ran out and people could not access the limited water and electricity supplies in the town. Hard lessons were learnt, and now residents of Ishinomaki are taking new measures. Solar and wind energy powered water purification systems are being developed and canned bread is being stocked up instead of fish.

Go-Far 2013 / Ishinomaki / Japan / Picking Up The Pieces

Disaster ready by Sabrina Tiong

Go-Far 2013 / Ishinomaki / Japan / Picking Up The Pieces

Disaster ready by Sabrina Tiong

(Clockwise from top left) SCHOOL GYMNASIUMS are traditionally used to house refugees, but they are poorly insulated. At the Ishinomaki Senshu University, 1,200 refugees slept in classrooms instead. The classrooms were small, so it was cosy and warm, and we did not need heating on sunny days, said the universitys president Prof Takashi Sakata. In this classroom, 30 to 50 people slept between rows of seats as the furniture could not be moved. / THE GYMNASIUM was converted into a temporary office for the prefectural government. Staff members were on site to take care of tax, healthcare and other administrative issues. An adjacent room a quarter of the size of the gymnasium served as a hospital where doctors and nurses did checkups and gave out free medicine for a month after the disaster. / STORED FOOD and donated rations are usually thrown away upon expiry, and Prof Sakata wants to reduce such wastage. He said: We are trying to get the company running the schools canteen to extend their usual supply of rice and oil for one week, so we can use it as an emergency supply. / THESE WIND turbines and solar panels will power a new water purification machine for post-disaster use in small villages that are difficult to access. Data is being collected on how much power can be produced under different weather conditions.

So far, three panels of wind generators have been able to produce 200 litres of filtered water. They can also be used to power other devices as they have a 100-volt socket - the standard in Japan. / WATER IS required not just for consumption but also to operate a proper sewage system. As 10 litres of water is required for a toilet to function properly, flushing was restricted. The schools 200-tonne storage supply was not enough, even with trucks delivering water each day. New water purifying methods are being researched. A plant might be built on campus, as it is located near a river. / MEDICAL RECORDS at the Miyagi Clinic were easily recovered as they were kept on paper, and not digitized. While its owner Hideaki Miyagi said no new measures would be put in place, except for moving important items up to the second floor if a warning should be issued, others have found ways to make medical information easily retrievable. Some health organisations have handed out information capsules for its patients to fill in their personal data, and store in their refrigerators as the appliance was found to be relatively intact after the tsunami.