Disability inclusion
in Shelter Management
THANCHANOK NUNTATIKUL
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)
ADRC Visiting Researcher FY2023

Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC member countries.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADRC.
The boundaries and names shown and designations used on the maps in the report also do not
imply official endorsement or acceptance by the ADRC.

Outline
Introduction
Shelter Management in Thailand
Shelter Management in Japan

Key findings and Recommendations
Conclusion

Introduction
Challenges: Thailand becomes aged society, it is necessary to consider about
challenges of increasing of elderly among regular people and people with disabilities.
Specific Aims: To have an insight about Japanese standards, practices, and challenge
on preparing and managing a disability-inclusive shelter as well as to learn from good
examples of accessible shelter.
Scope of Study: The research focuses on the development of practical guidance orrecommendations for temporary shelter establishment and management in Thailand to be
more inclusive for people with disabilities or special needs in preparation, management,and simulation exercise, by applying knowledge and experience from Japan.

Shelter Management in Thailand
1. Legal Framework

When a disaster occurs or is likely to occur, the local
government of the affected area is required to setup emergency
operations center (EOC) to direct, control, and coordinate
emergency response operations within its jurisdiction.
Authority to order evacuation
Authority to designate locations and arrange temporary shelters for
affected people

At national level, ESF 6: Social Welfare and Human Security is responsible for coordinatingwith and support agencies concerned in setting up temporary shelters. Ministry of Social
Development and Human Security is designated as a primary agency.

Shelter Management in Thailand
2. National Guidelines
Guidelines on temporary shelter establishment and management isdeveloped to be a framework for systematic temporary shelter
management which is in line with international standards.
Part 1 - criteria of temporary shelter area selection, establishment of temporary
shelter management committee, space and layout design, and procedure ofopening, operating, and closing temporary shelter
Part 2 - examples of tools and concrete practices for the staff e.g. check list for
temporary shelter establishment and management, basic rules for living in
temporary shelter, related forms, and procedure of managing temporary shelter
during Covid-19 situation.

Shelter Management in Thailand
3. Trainings and exercises

Thailand and International Organization on Migration (IOM) has conducts Train of Trainers on shelter
management during 2012 – 2014, and refreshed the training again since 2020 – present.
The trainers will expand knowledge to stakeholders in local level. The exercises has usually conductedannually in provincial and local level. IOM conducted TTx in 2022 to make the training modules be morefit with Thailand’s context.

Shelter Management in Japan
1. Legal Framework
The Basic Act on Disaster Management (enacted 1961) formulates a provision onprotection of affected population and their livelihood which includes the following actions:
1) Prior preparation of the lists of the people requiring assistance in the case of disaster andIndividual Evacuation Plans 2) Stipulation of the framework for wide-scale temporary
evacuation stays and goods transportation 3) Clarification of the standards for evacuation
centers and facilities in the case of disaster and 4) Improvement and expansion ofprotection measures for affected people. Municipalities in affected area will be primarily
responsible for disaster response.

Shelter Management in Japan
2. Japan’s initiative on Welfare Shelter
In 2016, the Guidelines for Securing and Managing Welfare Shelters was formulated as a
substantial revision and amendment of the Guidelines for Welfare Shelters’ Establishment
and Management released in 2008 which was not fully recognized, considering the lesson
learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake. A welfare shelter is a facility for evacuationof accepted recipients (people requiring special assistance) and their families. It recognizes
that it is impossible to conduct emergency response in times of disaster without efforts innormal times, and emphasizes municipalities to primarily make such efforts regarding welfareshelters as well as preparation of Individual Evacuation Plans based on priorities.

Shelter Management in Japan
3. Implementation of Welfare Shelter in Hyogo Prefecture and Kobe City
About 1,100 facilities are designated to be welfare shelters in Hyogo Prefecture, 402 facilities
are designated to be welfare shelters in Kobe City and 21 special nursing homes to be corewelfare shelters”.

Shelter Management in Japan
4. Process of developing Individual Evacuation Plans and Beppu City role model
Step 1 - Development of a promotion system within and outside the city office
Step 2 - Selection of targets based on priority
Step 3 - Explain the significance of creating a plan to social workers/welfare professionals
Step 4 - Explain the significance of creating a plan to community residents who will be evacuation supporters
Step 5 - Gathering basic information about the person and Prior Coordination with relevant parties(ex. welfare professional and families)
Step 6 - Creating Individual Support Plans with city officers, people with disabilities,families, welfare professionals, and community members
Step 7 - Conducting drills and other activities to confirm the effectivenessof each Individual Support Plan.

Key findings and Recommendations
Similarities between Thailand and Japan that enable the development of inclusive
temporary shelter management are as follows:
1) Legal Framework
The two countries have major laws on disaster risk management that state the role of local
authorities in developing a local disaster risk management plan in normal times, which includes
creating a list of vulnerable people or persons requiring special care during disaster, developing
evacuation plans and designating safe areas for establishing an evacuation shelter, as well asassigning responsible staff, preparing resources, supplies, and logistics in need for temporary
shelter management as well as BCP plans, and conducting simulation exercises for evacuation andtemporary shelter management. Meanwhile, during disaster times, the local government hasauthorities to order and facilitate evacuation as well as establish and manage temporary shelters.

Key findings and Recommendations
Similarities between Thailand and Japan that enable the development of inclusive
temporary shelter management are as follows:2) National Guidelines
The two countries have national guidelines for temporary shelter management, along with theprocedures for opening, operating, and closing temporary shelters and the concept of protection
for vulnerable people, including arrangements for special needs, appropriate spaces and facilities,
and public health and medical care services. However, Japan’s initiatives for supporting those whoneed special assistance in times of disaster are more advanced. The initiatives of welfare evacuation
shelters have been introduced since 2008, and the Guidelines for Securing and Managing Welfare
Shelters was formulated in 2016, emphasizing municipalities to primarily make efforts in
preparing welfare shelters and creating Individual Evacuation Plans based on priorities.

Key findings and Recommendations- Some municipalities, like Kobe City initiated core welfare shelters to reduce the burden of thecity and people requiring assistance in transferring from general shelters to welfare shelters,
together with implementing disaster countermeasures to secure good living conditions for citizens
during disaster situations.
- Michi-no-Eki Arai in Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture, is also a good initiative in the utilization ofMichi-no-Eki for DRR purposes and is suitable for serving as an evacuation shelter. It is complex
facilities comprised of shops and restaurants, parking spaces, resting areas, 24-hour accessibletoilets, 24-hour childcare support facilities, communication facilities, cooking buildings, power andwater supplies, etc.
- Alliance forming among local governments is one good method for pre-agreement to support
each other in relief, emergency shelter, and recovery including dispatched staff.Key findings and Recommendations- To achieve inclusive temporary shelter management, it is needed to break the silos (goodpractices from Beppu City) in developing comprehensive community evacuation plans and drills
that integrate individual support plans for people requiring special assistance.
- The training modules for temporary shelter management have been developing, and have justbecome more concrete and practical with Thailand’s context when the national guidelines waspublished and Table-top exercises were conducted in 2022 with support from IOM. While, it
seems the Prefectures and Municipalities in Japan developed their own manual for shelter
operation and training. The academic sector also has roles in developing human resources whoare capable to work in real situation such as facilitating evacuation drill and supporting shelter
management such as Kansai University’s Bosaishi program.

Key findings and Recommendations- The two countries do not have a general layout standard for every evacuation shelter but adjust
the layout and space arrangement as appropriate for each building, considering minimum
standards such as required spaces for individuals and gender aspects.

Key findings and Recommendations
Challenging issues in Japan:- Aging and Shrinking Society has been affecting government and community’s capacity inresponding to disasters.
- Preparation for a massive and prolonged evacuation under the power and water disruption
ex. Nankai Trough earthquake and Tokyo Inland Earthquake, considering lesson learned from
Noto Peninsula earthquake.
- Awareness of the roles of welfare shelters, manpower needed to support the welfare shelter,and BCP for welfare shelters.

Conclusion- The learning from Japan’s experiences and practices are very valuable and canapply to improve Thailand’s temporary shelter establishment and management to be
more inclusive for people with disabilities or special needs in preparation,management, and simulation exercise.
- The definition of people requiring special assistance is cover all type of vulnerable
people who are unable to evacuate by themselves or live in shelter without special
cares, including people with disabilities and elderly people.

Conclusion- However, comparing to Japan, Thailand has never experienced large-scaledisasters which cause large-scale disruption in public utility services in long period,and large amount of death, injured and evacuees. Usually, the major of disaster inThailand is floods which might force people in some areas to evacuate and stay inshelters around 1 - 3 months in maximum.

Conclusion
The following items are key lessons that can improve Thailand’s practices on
preparing for inclusive shelter management that is accessible for people with special
needs:1) Utilizing GIS and satellite data for collecting demographic and risk information tocreate maps and databases of people who need special assistance during disaster andsafe areas for establishing temporary shelters.
2) Developing an Application that is accessible for publics and inputting information
about shelter’s capacity to accommodate people requiring special assistance to reduce
traffic in one shelter and support decision-making for evacuation routes that leads tosuitable temporary shelters.

Conclusion
3) Engaging collaboration among local stakeholders, especially disaster officers,
welfare officers, medical officers, volunteers, and community members including
vulnerable people, to discuss and create Individual Evacuation Plans by following 7
steps mentioned in Guidelines for Supporting the Evacuation Behavior of Those Who
Require Assistance Evacuating, and test the plan during evacuation exercise, if
possible, in shelter management simulation exercise too.
4) Developing BCP for each temporary shelter to ensure its continuity in providing
services during disruption. Meanwhile, the suppliers should also have BCP to ensure
their capacity to deliver supporting services to temporary shelters.

Conclusion
5) Cooperating with welfare or healthcare centers / facilities to be designated and betrained to serve as welfare shelters for people who need special consideration during
disaster.
6) Working with professionals and volunteers to create community-building activities
in temporary shelters to strengthen new community relationships among evacuees inorder to leave no one behind.

Thank youforyour kind attention