Journal of Natural Disaster Science, Volume 36, Number 2, 2015, pp53-61

Dealing with Relief Supplies When Shelters Are at Risk of Becoming Isolated:
Discussion of Current Japanese Practice
Hideyuki Ito,1 Wisinee Wisetjindawat,2 and Muneta Yokomatsu3
1 P&I Logistics, 287-2, Tenjin, Kashiwamori, Aichi, 480-0103, Japan

E-mail: pi0001@h3.dion.ne.jp
2 Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso, Showa, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8555 Japan

E-mail: wisinee@nitech.ac.jp
3 Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Japan

E-mail: yoko@drs.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp

ABSTRACT
Relief supplies stored at shelters may be the only available supplies if shelters become
temporarily isolated and inaccessible from outside after a disaster. These supplies become absolutely
essential and thus the types and quantities require careful consideration, especially in places that are
at high risk of becoming isolated. This issue becomes even more important when vulnerable people
are in the isolated shelters. It is a duty of society to take care of victims of disaster. On the other
hand, when the number of evacuees in the isolated shelter is more than expected or when the isolation
period is extended, a proper management plan is required. The plan should consider how the othershelters and/or municipalities can help when a municipality has lost its functionality after a disaster.
It seems that collaboration between municipalities on a small scale operated well during the aftermathof the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake; however, there is still a need to extend the scale to cover theentire country to increase the efficiency. This paper provides a discussion of the above issues based on
current Japanese practice, which can be adapted to other countries as well.
Keywords: Relief supplies, shelter, human rights, humanitarian logistics

1. Introduction

to important infrastructures. At locations with a high riskof isolation, it is very important to prepare storage of somebasic relief supplies at the shelters in adequate amounts, atleast to secure victim survivability until aid from the outside
can reach the shelter. In other words, the authors suggest
preparing storage at all possible isolated shelters if theregion is at risk of a disaster whose prediction in advanceis difficult. However, we still need to investigate the typesof supplies to be stored that are suitable for various types ofvictims including vulnerable people.
In August, 2012, the Japanese Cabinet announced aguideline for a good quality of life at shelters as several
problems occurred during the 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake. The guideline divides the operation within
the shelters into two phases: 1) immediate response and 2)
after settling down. This paper aims to discuss the problems
and logistics issues during the immediate response period
when saving lives should be the utmost priority. However,during this phase, shelters may be damaged and become

When a shelter becomes temporarily isolated, evacuees
have to rely on the goods stored at the shelter until aid canreach the shelter from outside. Thus, the goods stored at the
shelter must be of sufficient quantity. On the other hand, as
evacuees are different in characteristics, we should avoid
storing uniform goods for a better response to the different
needs of evacuees.
Unlike earthquakes, hurricanes or typhoons cansometimes be predicted in advance and thus arrangements
such as safe shelter locations, relief supplies, and so on
can be prepared well before the event. In this case, thedesignated shelters are less likely to become isolated after
the disaster. However, disasters like downpours, landslides,
earthquakes, and tsunamis happen suddenly, and the level ofdamage and exact location are rather difficult to predict inadvance. Thus, the designated shelters may flood due to thedisaster and/or become temporarily isolated due to damage

53

H.Ito, W.Wisetjindawat, M.Yokomatsurisk of isolation should prepare the goods adequately, atleast to sustain the lives of victims while waiting for aid
from outside. Preparing goods necessary for daily life suchas toilets and napkins should not be neglected, although
this may require a reduction in the space for food forsanitation reasons. Blankets are also necessary to maintainbody temperature. Also, on March 14, 2011, the goods
first provided by Aichi Prefecture were 34,880 blankets,
which were at the request of the government. Therefore, theauthors suggest preparing food and water as the minimum
requirement, blankets, and daily goods and equipment for
sanitation.
When looking through the list of goods provided
by municipalities during the 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake, 4, 5, 6,7) the relief goods prepared by themunicipalities are rather similar all over the country, andthey mainly include food, water, and blankets. Obviously,
these items are basic goods necessary for victims. Regardingthese basic items, food should be ready-to-eat meals thatare easy to consume. Tins that require a can opener should
be avoided. Three liters of drinking water is a minimum
requirement in a day. 8) Two blankets are necessary tomaintain body temperature. Infants and the elderly may needdiapers and some adult females require sanitary napkins as
well. We also suggest some other items to be considered as
basic relief supplies. Some goods are necessary to respect
the dignity of victims, for example, room partitions anddisposable toilets. Room partitions are rather important
especially to the elderly and nursing mothers since theyneed a little privacy when changing diapers or feeding
babies. Toilets should be considered as important as food.
Generally, evacuees need to use the toilet approximately
within two hours of their arrival at a shelter.9)

temporarily inaccessible from the outside due to flooding as
an example. It is necessary to prepare for this possibility. In
countries prone to sudden disaster such as Japan, we should
not expect all inhabitants to carry relief supplies at all times
and should pay more attention to the possibility of shelters
becoming isolated. This paper will discuss the types ofrelief supplies to be stored and the method of distribution,
concerning priority and the Cabinet guideline.
This paper is organized as follows: the various
characteristics of victims, the types and the quantity ofgoods to be stored, and the priority for distributing the goods
to evacuees are discussed. Next, as operational efficiency
can be improved through collaboration, issues regarding
collaboration among municipalities and the rules to beconsidered for collaboration are explored. Finally, methodsof efficiently supplying goods from outside are examined.
2. The storage of relief supplies
2.1 Who requires the aid?
Evacuees at a shelter are mainly local people in theregion, although some evacuees might come from otherregions. A clear understanding of the type of people in theregion can help in deciding the appropriate types of goods
to be stored at the shelters. Evacuees from other regions
are possibly tourists and visitors, and it is rather difficult
to predict the characteristics of these people. It is possible
to predict the characteristics of local people from the
population structure of the region. With knowledge of thecharacteristics, the preparation of relief supplies can be more
efficient and respond better to the actual needs of evacuees.
In particular, based on the Cabinet guideline, vulnerable
people, who include elderly, infants, pregnant women,children, disabilities, those with allergies, and foreigners
should be properly treated. Knowledge of the populationof this group can help to prepare their necessities, andimportantly all victims should be treated equally and withrespect for their dignity.
It is absolutely essential for the dignity of people andvictims to be respected so that they keep their will andenergy to live. Also, there are guidelines on how to properly
deal with victims of natural disasters, and refugees or
victims of political conflicts such as the Guiding Principles
on Internal Displacement by UNOCHA 1) and IASC
Operational Guidelines on the Protection of the Persons In
Situations of Natural Disasters.2) These standards are only
a guideline and not an obligation; however, we can apply
these standards for the preparation of relief goods.

2.3 How much in terms of quantity?
Some shelters risk being isolated due to damage tocritical infrastructures. Under such circumstances, victims
will need to live in the shelters until aid from outside canreach the shelter and must rely only on the prepared goods at
shelters. Therefore, the necessary quantity of relief supplies
is decided according to the isolation period of the shelter.
However, the exact period of isolation is rather difficult topredict as it depends on multiple factors.
In previous experience, the recovery of roads after
the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake was achieved very
quickly. The process started with, as the first step, therepair of the main line with relatively less damage. On
the fourth day, as the second step, the works extended torecover the sub-lines in order to reach the coastal roads
that were severely damaged by the tsunami. Finally, as
the last step, the coastal line was repaired in seven days
after the disaster.10) From this experience, a recovery planof infrastructure after a disaster can be used to estimate
the isolation period of shelters. The plan for the predicted
Nankai Earthquake 11) hints at the preparation of relief
supplies for at least three days at shelters. Obviously, theduration required for recovery is different in each region.
In addition, we should not rely only on road transport but

2.2 What is required?
When considering the types of goods to be preparedat shelters, we should assume that victims evacuate to
shelters without any preparation as a result of a sudden
event. The types of relief supplies to be stored at shelters
must be decided with careful consideration. Several typesof goods are suggested in the Cabinet guideline3); however,
it is not possible for all shelters to prepare all these goods.
Despite space and budget constraints, municipalities at54

Journal of Natural Disaster Science, Volume 36, Number 2, 2015, pp53-61

structure from the current Population Census of Japan in2010 and daily dietary requirements per person. The quantityof each item was approximated from the average proportionof the population. As a result, the storage requirement per
1,000 people is approximately 34.16 m3, which weighs 6,660
kg for the first day; however, this depends on the exact typeof goods. The storage requirement for the second day canbe reduced to 6.28 m3 and the weight decreases to 3,560 kg,
since blankets, nursing bottles, and room partitions are to
be distributed only on the first day. Finally, the total spacerequirement for the storage of three days’ supplies is 46.27
m3 (34.16 m3 + 6.28 m3 × two days) and 13,780 kg (6,660 kg+ 3,560 kg × two days). Considering Nagoya City’s standard
space requirement of 2 m 2 per person at a shelter, 13) wewould thus require 2,000 m2 for 1,000 persons. The heightof a room is generally about 2 m, so 23.14 (46.27/2) m2 isrequired when considering only the volume requirement.
On the other hand, when considering the weight constraint,
based on the Japanese Building Standards Act, the loadbearing capacity of a floor is 3600 N/m2 (approximate 367kg); thus, 38 m2 is required as a horizontal space (13,780
kg / 367 kg = 38 m2) for the storage of the proposed relief
goods for 1,000 persons.

should also consider other options for supplying goods
such as by coastal transport. For example, Chiba Prefecture
prepared a port operation plan during emergency.12) Thus,
both recovery plans for roads and ports can be used toestimate requirements concerning the quantities of relief
supplies.
2.4 Where should relief supplies be stored?
Relief supplies may be stored at designated storage
spaces or directly at shelters. The current practice in Japan
is to store supplies at the municipalities’ storage spaces.
However, the latter method can cope better with the riskof shelter isolation. If all supplies are stored at the central
storage, when an unpredicted disaster happens, victims
at isolated shelters will need to wait until the supplies aredelivered. In the authors’ opinion, storing the supplies
directly at shelters is strongly recommended.
3. An example of basic relief supplies
The authors proposed an example list of basic relief
items for 1,000 people for three days, as shown in Table 1.
The space requirement was calculated using the population

Table 1 List of Basic Goods and the Space Requirement Using Average Population

55

H.Ito, W.Wisetjindawat, M.Yokomatsu

everyone equally under such circumstances. Considering
the Cabinet guideline, perhaps the first priority should begiven to infants, pregnant women, children, those withdisabilities, and those with allergies. Later, the remaining
supplies are to be given to those with lower priority.
However, this is a sensitive topic, and the types of goods
and their quantities in the storage require the agreementof the people. According to the Cabinet guideline, thegovernment emphasized the involvement of several people
and different gender perspectives to improve the operation.
However, a method of supplying goods from outside should
be prepared in order to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

In fact, space for storage is not too large for the
preparation. Note that these values should be adjusted sothat they suit the local requirements. In areas where there
is a higher number of elderly people, a greater quantityof items for the elderly should be prepared. During theaftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, arepor ter visited Onagawa Town, Miyagi Prefecture,
which has a relatively high number of elderly people(approximately 33.7% of the population) and found a large
quantity of useless baby diapers and powdered milk.14)
This problem might be a consequence of applying the
average population structure without considering the local
characteristics.
When applying the population structure of Onagawa
Town, the requirement of relief supplies per 1,000 people
becomes as shown on the right-hand side in Table 1.
Compared with the nationwide average population
structure, the quantities of adult diapers increase while thequantities of powdered milk and baby napkins decrease.
Although the number of required partitions is same, thepurpose of usage is more for the elderly. Four partitions are
required for the elderly in Onagawa Town but two in thenationwide average.

5. Supplying goods to isolated shelters
5.1 Collaboration among municipalities
After all discussions have been concluded, the typesof goods and their quantities are decided and preparedat a shelter as well as the priority of distributing goods
to victims. There is still a possibility that the prepared
supplies become inadequate due to several uncertainties,
such as an excessive number of evacuees or a longer staying
period. We thus need to prepare a plan to quickly supply
goods from outside to the affected shelters. The basic relief
supplies to be given at the first time are generally the mostimportant, with the reminder that a more rapid distributionof supplies can help save more lives as well as easing
victims’ stress. A delivery of 30 minutes faster will become
more crucial than in usual circumstances. Thus, there is aneed to find a more efficient way to deliver the supplies.
The goods required during an emergency often
need a longer process time until their arrival. In Japan,
most municipalities prepare similar basic goods for thesurvival period and it may be possible to share thesethroughout the country. In a small-scale disaster, theaffected shelter may receive supplies from unaffected
nearby shelters. But, in the case of a large-scale disaster,
it may be difficult for the affected municipality to movegoods from the unaffected shelters to the affected shelters.
It may be easier to buy goods from suppliers. However,
it is often difficult for suppliers to provide goods quickly
due to a too-sudden huge demand. Also, some emergency
goods, such as toilet bags, are not usually used in daily
life and it is unusual for retailers to have a stock readyand they thus need another way to procure the goods. For
example, the affected municipalities may receive supplies
from other municipalities. This means that municipalities
should collaborate and share their supplies. This method isdifferent from the current practice in which an individual
mu n icipalit y ma kes its ow n ag reement with othermunicipalities. The proposed stock-sharing method aims
to involve all municipalities and share all their storages
together. The goods stored at unaffected municipalities canbe gathered and transported to the affected area when adisaster occurs. Using this sharing method, the goods to be
put into storage at shelters can be reduced.17)
If the collaboration is successful, we can increase
victims’ survivability and the sharing system can reduce

4. Preparing to deal with insufficient supplies
Not all municipalities are able to prepare sufficientstorage to meet the different needs of people due to theconstraints of space and/or budget. For this reason, relief
supplies should be ranked by priority. The priority of goods
is clearly different according to the needs of each local
community. Also, this matter is rather sensitive and should
be discussed thoroughly in the community. For example,
reducing the space for food and instead increasing thespace for disposable heat pads, which can be used forwarming water to make milk from baby formula, might
be advantageous. Despite constraints on either budget or
space, the needs of vulnerable people are not negligible.
In general, the space requirement for each person
det e r m i nes t he capa cit y of a shelter. T he stor age
requirement of relief supplies can be calculated in the sameway. However, when a large-scale earthquake occurs,
people evacuate to shelters much more than their capacity
allows. If a shelter and its neighborhood become isolated
due to damage to lifelines, it will be difficult to live athome due to lack of food and water, forcing victims toseek help at shelters. The prepared supplies may become
inadequate. In this circumstance, we need to clarify rules
for the distribution of supplies to people who stay at homeor at temporary shelters such as temples.15,16) Based on theJanuary 2014 government disaster prevention plan, relief
supplies must be given to victims outside shelters as well(such as victims confined at home). However, in the case ofa large area being isolated, the method of providing aid tothese people still remains to be determined.
While waiting for aid from outside, the goods instorage might become insufficient. Priority in distributing
the goods should be considered and it is difficult to treat

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Journal of Natural Disaster Science, Volume 36, Number 2, 2015, pp53-61

updating of the database for all municipalities can increase
the efficiency. According to the Cabinet guideline, sharing
information among municipalities is possible.

waste of goods with a shelf life as the goods stored at
unaffected municipalities will be actually used.
5.2 Donating and receiving rules
A single relationship between two municipalities
might be not very efficient in the case of a large-scaledisaster. Gathering donor municipalities together into agroup and providing the goods together can help to reduce
redundancy and distribute the supplies more evenly
throughout the affected region. However, if there is no rule,
when there are numerous affected municipalities, most
donated goods may be provided to only a few recipients.
For example, Sendai City was the only affected member ina network of 21 large cities in Japan18) during the 2011 Great
East Japan Earthquake. Sendai City received a more-thannecessary amount of relief supplies from the other 20 cities
in the network. The city had to redistribute many goods
to other municipalities that were hit by the earthquake aswell. Generally speaking, bigger cities are preparing more
supplies compared with other smaller municipalities andthus the amount of donation will be larger.19) In addition,
when multiple donors provide goods to the same recipient,the delivery times are very likely to be different according
to the donor and this can cause waste of time and labor. A
rule for receiving and giving aid among municipalities canhelp reduce these problems. For example, the arrival timeof goods should be decided by the recipients themselves
and the recipients should also prepare space and labor
ready for the arrival of the goods.

5.4 Goods packages
A standard package of goods, including package sizeand quantity per package, can shorten the time required fortransporting and distributing goods. As an example shownin Table 1, approximately eight nursing bottles are required
for every 1,000 people. In the current Japanese market,
storing a whole package, which contains 40 bottles, is notrecommended since the space should be used for otherimportant items. A similar consideration should be applied
to the storage of powdered milk and sanitary napkins as
well. In the case of Nagoya City, the biggest shelter has
a capacity of 3,681 people, while shelters in rural areas,
which are generally community centers, have a capacityof approximately 50 people.21) A rural shelter, which has
a lower capacity, will store too many nursing bottles ifstoring the package as a whole. It is recommend to consider
the capacity of each shelter when preparing goods and, if
necessary, divide packages and store items in appropriatequantities.
Another problem can occur with goods to be shared
among multiple users. For example, powdered milk in tins
is rather difficult to use and share. Items in small bags for
single usage are more convenient. Furthermore, goods thatare used for the same purpose should be packed together
into a set. Through this method, the quantity can beeasily confirmed and distributed to victims. For example,
instead of preparing powdered milk and other related
items separately, a baby set that contains powdered milk, anursing bottle, and a disposable heat pad is preferable.
If the package tag also follows the same standard, it
will be possible to use the unit-load system,22) which may
reduce the workload of the recipient and also make it easierfor donors share trucks to transport the goods together.

5.3 Sharing information
A smooth f low of information plays a critical rolein the overall operation. Sharing information on goods inthe storage, including goods types, storage location, andtheir quantities, can improve the efficiency. A centralized
database of the stored goods at all municipalities in the
country can help management of the storages. The goods’
names and codes should be standardized. In addition,
shelter information, not only addresses and capacities but
also aviation addresses, should be included in the databasefor the case of transportation by helicopter.
When supplying goods to isolated shelters, one
should be aware that the environment before and after adisaster can be totally different. For example, if a regionis heavily flooded, the goods need to be transported byhelicopter; a normal address cannot be used in such case.
In March 2011, the pilots needed to use a televised image
to identify the locations of shelters.20) In Japan, we suggest
gathering the locations of shelters in the aviation formats
of UTM, N-code, and latitudes and longitudes insteadof normal addresses. There should also be a standard forall municipalities as the system may differ from region
to region. For example, Chubu and Kansai Aviation
Associations use different systems. Thus, the shelter
locations should be prepared so as to be ready to work inevery system.
It is also necessary to always keep the information up
to date. Not only correcting any changes but also regular

5.5 Method of transportation
If shelters are not isolated, it is possible to use thecurrent delivery practice to access the shelters by truck.
However, this will become impossible when shelters
become isolated, 23) or when it is unclear whether theroad condition is sufficient to access the shelters. Other
transport modes, such as, helicopter, boat, and primitivemodes like trolley, might be a good option. For example, inJapan during March 2011, a helicopter was used to deliver
supplies to Ajishima, which is an isolated island on the Oga
Peninsula.20)
In 1959, Aichi Prefecture was struck by the Isewan
Typhoon, which caused many regions to be isolated fora long period of time. At that time, it was difficult totransport relief goods by truck. Some goods were deliveredby helicopter to the isolated areas. The goods were dropped
to people waiting on the roofs of flooded houses. On March
23rd, 2011, the Ministry of Transport relaxed the aviation
law and allowed the dropping of the relief goods fromthe air, a means previously restricted. However, dropping

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H.Ito, W.Wisetjindawat, M.Yokomatsu

information or a guideline on the operation: for example,
planning for the case where a region becomes isolated
regarding estimated quantity of supplies considering thevictims inside and outside shelters. This method can easethe operation by the acting municipality. Then, the acting
municipality decides on the relief goods to be supplied andthe quantities. Later, the actual operation of distribution ofrelief goods should be given to specialists such as logistics
sectors, fire brigades, etc.

goods from the air requires very careful investigation, in
terms of not only the dropping method but also the quantityof goods and the packaging considering the dropping
condition. If this preparation is successful, the timerequired for loading and unloading the goods in and out thehelicopter can be reduced.
In 1959, goods were also delivered by boat as theregion was heavily flooded. There was huge demand forboats and some of them were transported from faraway
such as Yokohama City, which is more than 150 km from
Aichi Prefecture.24) A database related to transport modes
such as boat and other primitive modes (i.e., trolley) should
be organized. Yokkaichi City, Japan, is storing sometrolleys as shown in Figure 1. The Japanese Ground SelfDefense Force also uses trolleys for transporting weaponsor certain goods such as food and water in fields where
trucks cannot be used.

7. First delivery after isolation
The first delivery lot from the outside should beviewed in a different way from the goods to be stored at
the shelter. The goods to be put into storage are focusedon maintaining the victims’ survivability, while the goods
to be supplied from outside should focus more on how torecover the victims’ health. During the two or three days
after a disaster, all basic goods will be consumed and thesegoods are a minimum requirement to survive. However,
the health of most victims may be at its worse. Stress andlack of sleep can compromise the immune system. We needto supply high-nutrition goods and those that can relieve
fatigue and to supply supplements to help recover thevictims’ health; however, consultancy with medical doctors
is necessary for finding the appropriate set of goods for thispurpose.
Even though a shelter is in isolation, if communicationis still possible, it is necessary to communicate with theoutside about the status of supplies and the requirements.
The requisite information is, for example, the number ofvictims by type and their health condition. Importantly,
attention should be paid not only to the people at the
shelters but also to people at temporary shelters and people
confined at home. This information can help in deciding
suitable goods and the quantity to be supplied. However,communication is often impossible due to power outage.
The quantity of these goods may be decided considering
the population structure.
The requirements of these goods will not be the sameas the basic goods for survival, since victims may require
more nutrition. We should know these requirements inadvance for efficient delivery. As an example, a coffee
franchise company has a concept of an emergency pack.
The distribution center will deliver the emergency pack that
contains the necessary items to a chain store when there is
a communication problem between the store and the center.
During the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, theseemergency packs were delivered to certain chain stores.25)
This concept can be applied to the delivery of relief
supplies to isolated shelters as well. It is recommended toprepare for the worst case of communication outage. In thiscase, relief goods and medical kits in a quantity sufficient
for a day should be prepared in advance. The goods areadjustable according to the situation. For example, more
toilet items should be prepared if water outage continues.
If using the relief goods list shown in Table 1 plus
medical sets, the space requirement per 1,000 persons is

Figure 1. Tolleys can be used as a delivery mode during
emergency.

6. Preparing for the loss of bureaucratic function
Du r ing the af ter math of the 2011 ear thquake,the bu reaucratic process stopped at some affectedmunicipalities. It is necessary to plan in advance the acting
municipality instead of the affected municipality in thissituation. When a municipality losses such function, theprocess of supplying goods should be handled by the upper
administration level (i.e., prefecture). However, in thecase of a large-scale disaster, the affected prefecture may
not be able to take responsibility; hence, the neighboring
prefecture may act instead. Next, the acting prefecture
should also prepare a method of supplying goods to isolated
shelters considering the network of municipalities, thelocations receiving the goods, and other details for a more
efficient operation. Also, the operation should be decided
considering the efficiency of the operation, not focusing
solely on the governing boundary of the municipality.
Next, during the aftermath of a disaster, the workload
on municipality staff will increase massively. Preparing
clear responsibility for the workload in advance canreduce waste of time. Staff should provide necessary58

Journal of Natural Disaster Science, Volume 36, Number 2, 2015, pp53-61

approximately 0.5 m3.
After deciding the type and quantity of goods, themode of transport should be considered. It is not always
possible to immediately supply a large amount of goods
after a shelter becomes accessible. Often, the repaired
road during the early period is yet to gain its full capacity,
causing a limited driving speed and available lanes. It isnecessary to consider a transport mode that can work undersuch circumstances. Using trucks as in a normal delivery
might be difficult due to narrow roads or other constraints.
Light trucks, 26) motorcycles, bicycle, or trolleys may be
more suitable. During a disaster, a large number of thesevehicles will be necessary and they should thus be preparedin advance as it may be difficult to find a sufficient number
in a short time. During the 2011 earthquake, there was also
preparation for transport during emergency. Shizuoka City
prepared off-road bikes that can run on very narrow roads(about 1 m in width). These off-road bikes worked to gather
information during the disaster. 27) Another example is a
medical wholesaler, anticipating road obstacles caused bydisaster debris, who prepared a hundred 50cc. motorcycles
at its logistics center. 28) Using these motorcycles, thewholesaler could deliver medical goods to hospitals
inaccessible by normal truck. Although the purpose ofusage may be different, this idea can be applied to thedelivery of relief goods under conditions of damaged
infrastructure as well.
However, these transport modes have very limited
capacity despite making increasingly numerous round trips.
They cannot be used for the delivery of large quantities andthe main deliveries still rely on trucks. The combined usageof trucks and primitive modes can be applied by using
such primitive delivery modes only when it is necessary
to access difficult-to-access shelters. Sometimes, whena normal truck cannot pass, goods can be transferred toa small vehicle such as a motorcycle. Goods packaging
should also be considered for efficient transfer. Inaccessible
locations may differ every day and the goods transfer
method should thus be very well managed. Therefore, theinvolvement of a logistician is recommended.
Often, in past disasters, although the goods arrived
at the primary or the secondary stockyard, they could
not reach shelters due to lack of sufficient preparationof transport when there is degradation of infrastructure.
Secu r ing emergency t ranspor t modes is absolutely
essential for successful delivery until the goods reach theusers. Also, in an emergency situation, the requirementsof goods and transport mode may change day by day.
The involvement of exper ts is preferable for proper
management.
Dealing with waste from shelters is not a negligible
problem. If shelters are in a water outage situation, alarge amount of disposable toilet waste can be expected.
An estimate of this type of waste for 1,000 people over aduration of three days is more than 2,500 kg.29) Likewise,
empty water bottles can occupy more than 10 m3. Vehicles
previously used for supplying goods can be used forcollecting waste as well. Considering the health issue,

human and animal waste should be collected as soon as
possible.
8. Dealing with pets
Evacuees often come with pets. It is rather common
for victims to bring their pets to shelters as well. In New
York, the city allows people to bring pets to evacuation
centers and provides sepa rate spaces for pets andhumans.30) Disasters in the region can mostly be predicted
in advance and the city thus had enough time to prepare
for evacuation and it was possible to deal with pets before
the hurricane arrived. However, the timing and locationof many disasters in Japan cannot be predicted correctly.
In past disasters, many pets were left without good careafter the disasters. Two years after the Great East Japan
Earthquake, the Japanese government issued a guideline
for dealing with pets at shelters.31) In the guideline, pets arereceived at shelters that have enough space to divide petsfrom humans. If the shelters receive pets, they should also
prepare some basic supplies for pets at the shelters. Similar
to humans, the number of evacuated pets also needs to be
estimated.
However, uncommon pets other than dogs and catsneed more consideration. In the aftermath of the 1995 Kobe
Earthquake, it was reported more than 30 dogs and cats
and other animals, such as crocodiles, snakes, and crows,
were found at shelters.32) In tropical regions, there are also
problems between animals and humans during a disaster.33)
During the 2011 flood in Thailand, there was a report of aserious crocodile attack. Also, 15 poisonous snakes escapedfrom a cage.34) Japan needs to prepare to deal with these
possibilities as well. A concrete guideline on how to deal
with uncommon pets should also be discussed publicly.
Conclusion
One of the most important issues related to relief
supplies is how to distribute goods to victims at the very
beginning of evacuation after a disaster. The government
has a responsibility to prepare the storage of basic relief
supplies, as protected by human rights. Furthermore,
victims are diverse in characteristics such as there being
vulnerable groups including those with disabilities, theelderly, children, pregnant women, and so on. They require
more various types of goods and the government should
thus be notified that all victims are not the same and should
consider preparing the storage of basic relief supplies tocover the needs of people with different characteristics.
In this paper, we propose the preparation of at least somestored items necessary for survival ready at all shelters
during the early period after a disaster. This method cancope better with unpredictable disasters (in terms of timing
and location), which often occur in Japan. We should also
pay more attention to the possibility of shelters becoming
isolated. From this point of view, municipalities should
consider what kind of goods should be stored and how theyshould be stored. In the current situation, it seems that59

H.Ito, W.Wisetjindawat, M.Yokomatsu

www.seikei.ac.jp/university/bungaku/teachers/20101201-2.pdf
3) Disaster Management, Cabinet Office, Government ofJapan (2013). Principles to Keep Good Quality of Life at
Shelters.
4) Toyama City (2014). List of Goods and Suppor ts
Provided by Toyama City in the Aftermath of the 2011
Great East Japan Earthquake.
http://www.city.toyama.toyama.jp/data/open/
cnt/3/8068/1/20140731shien.pdf5) Nagoya City (2011). Goods Provided by Nagoya City in
the Aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake
during 28 Days Since March 22, 2011.
http://www.city.nagoya.jp/kodomoseishonen/
page/0000048709.html
6) Kanazawa City (2011). Goods Supplied to Tohoku
Region in the Aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake.
https://www.pref.ishikawa.lg.jp/bousai/bousai_g/
tohoku_ jishin/tohoku_shien.html
7) Shizuoka City (2011). Supports Provided to the 2011
Tohoku Earthquake.
www.city.shizuoka.jp/000107425.pdf
8) Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (2008). A Plan
for Dealing with Seismic Impact on Irrigation Systems.
(In Japanese.)
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/06-Seisakujouhou10900000-Kenkoukyoku/suido_taishinka_shishin.pdf
9) The Japan Toilet Lab (2013). The Toilet in 3.11 Great
East Japan Earthquake, pp.4. (In Japanese.)10)		http://www.newton-consulting.co.jp/bcmnavi/
column/20140206_bcp_for_contructor_ on_comb_
teeth_operation.htm
11) Chubu Regional Bureau (2013). The Road Recovery
Plan The Comb Teeth Technique. (In Japanese.)www.cbr.mlit.go.jp/kisya/2013/05/0560.pdf
12) Chiba Prefecture (2013). Plan of Relief Supply under
Disaster. (In Japanese.)13)Nagoya Cit y (2013). Prepar ing the St r uct u re of
Evacuation, pp. 85. (In Japanese.)
14) Shigemi K. (2011). A Rescue by Hospitals of Tohoku.
Koudansha Publishing. pp.48. (In Japanese.)
15) Kahoku-Shinpo Newspaper (2011). Victims at Home are
Still in Isolation, April 3, 16, pp. 20.
16) Kahoku Shinpo Newspaper (2011). Walking for Many
Hours to Find Food. March 21, pp.10. (In Japanese.)17) Yokomatsu M., Kajihara T., Ito H., and Wisetjindawat
W. (2015). Risk-diversified Allocation for Storing ofDisaster Relief Goods: Cost Savings by Stockpile
Sharing Strategy. (IEEESMC (in review).)
18) Sendai City (2011). A Record of 2011 the Great East
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Chapter 12: Domestic
and Overseas Support, pp. 507. (In Japanese.)
19) Sendai City (2011). A Record of the 2011 Great East
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Chapter 12: Domestic
and Overseas Support, pp. 511. (In Japanese.)20)Asahi Newspaper (2011). 100,000 in Defense Force are
Struggling, 03.27, 14, pp.5. (In Japanese.)many municipalities neglect this issue and do not preparea sufficient quantity of goods at shelters. Preparing somestorage of goods ready at all shelters and sharing themamong the municipalities are both important and need to bedone together for better efficiency.
Sometimes, the prepared quantit y may not beadequate due to numbers of evacuees exceeding theprevious expectation or a longer period of isolation. Asa countermeasure, we suggest sharing the stock of relief
supplies among municipalities because this method can
reduce cost and waste due to the disposal of unused goods
because their use-by date has expired. Pooling relief goods
among municipalities is very efficient as unused goods
from other municipalities can be given to the municipalities
in need. This method would not require too much additional
cost to all municipalities. The estimated benefits of sharing
storage can be discussed with the general public.
The rules for operation should be decided in advanceand, in particular, we must prepare for the possibility ofloss of bureaucratic function.
The goods to be stored at shelters can be classified
into three types: (1) goods to be distributed to everyone;(2) goods distributed to people in need; and (3) items tomaintain quality of life at shelters. When preparing thesegoods, it is necessary to consider the population structure
to avoid excess or shortage of goods.
We also need to prepare successful logistics tosupply goods to victims through the following method:(1) necessary information about the goods and shelters
between donors and recipients must be shared; (2) sincenormal logistics may not be operable under possible
degradation of infrastr ucture, r ules, standards, andmethods for the logistics operations should be prepared inadvance; and (3) some primitive modes as an emergency
delivery mode should be prepared.
Furthermore, the first delivery from outside after
isolation should be considered very carefully. As victims
may be exhausted due to limited consumption of foodand water, some goods recommended by medical doctors
should be given. In order to deliver goods to shelters after
reopening of damaged roads, a plan for goods and theirdelivery method must be prepared.
The logistics of delivering goods to isolated sheltersand for the first delivery after isolation are very different
from those to an unaffected area. The work conditionis rather dangerous. Involving experts in the operationis recommended to ensure a successful and efficient
operation.

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