East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Survey Study on the Evacuation of
Nursery Schools in Iwate

How werechildrensaved ?

Japan Committee for UNICEF/ Iwate Prefecture’s Children and Family
Division of the Health Welfare Department

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate“How were children saved?”

Introduction
by the Japan Committee for UNICEF and Iwate Prefecture’sChildren and Family Division of the Health Welfare Department.

On March 11 2011, at 14:46, an enormous
earthquake shook the entire region of easternJapan. In Iwate, there were about 20,000 children
attending 353 nursery schools at that time. It was
the most peaceful time of the day at nurseryschools where children were about to awake fromdaily naps and prepare for afternoon snacks.

How did child caregivers respond to the unprecedented
catastrophe and protect children? We hope that, without letting
the experiences fade away, the study will contribute to thefurther establishment of safer childcare environments forchildren.

There were severe tremors, tense air, coldness
from a power failure, and a giant tsunami striking
the coastline. Under these circumstances, nurseryschool children were evacuated to the safe refuge
by school staff, supported by the community.

In terms of the development of this study, we would like toexpress our gratitude to those nursery schools in Iwate for their
participation and cooperation in the survey and interview
processes.

This “Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery
Schools in Iwate” shows how each nursery school
took disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures andevacuated with children from the East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami disaster. It is aimed tohelp childcare institutions in Iwate and beyond
improve and strengthen their future DRR measuresand responses. The study was jointly conducted

February 2013
Japan Committee for UNICEF
Children and Family Division,
Health and Welfare Department,
Iwate Prefecture

Contents
Introduction 1

Part 3Outlines of the Study 2
Map of Iwate 3

Recovery and Reopening
Nursery Schools		20

Safety Confirmation of Children and School Staff 20
Part 1

Beginning of the Disaster

4

Situation of the Day 4

The Damages and Recovery of the Lifeline Services 21
Resuming Childcare Services(or Reopening Nursery Schools) 21

Immediate Actions and Evacuation Preparation 5

Issues for Future Disaster
Prevention Measures

Roll Call and Safety Confirmation 6
Starting the Evacuation 6

Part 4

Evacuation Means/Methods 8~ Looking back on the experiences at the disaster ~Emergency Carry-Out 8
Earthquake and Tsunami Information 9
The State of Tsunami~ Testimonies from the Coastal Municipalities ~ 11

Part 2

Conditions at Evacuation Areas 12

Keeping Warm 13
Food Situations 14

24

Crisis Management and Disaster Response Manual 25
Safety Measures at School Facilities 25
Evacuation Drill and Disaster Prevention Education 25
Collaboration with Parents 27
Partnerships with the Communities 29
Disaster Awareness and Emergency Arrangement among
School Staff 30
Looking back at the day of the disaster ~ Listening to thevoices of nursery school staff 32

Sanitary Environments 14
Stockpiled Emergency Supplies 15
Cooperation with the Communities 16
Actions by Nursery School Staff 16
Contacting Parents and Handing over Children
to the Families 17

Supplemental Materials

List of Reference Materials 35
Survey Questionnaires on Emergency Evacuation Measures
by Nursery Schools in Iwate in the East Japan Earthquake
and Tsunami 36

1

Outlines of the Study
1.

Study Purpose
The East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that occurred on March 11 2011 was an unprecedented catastrophethat caused severe damages to nursery schools in Iwate. However, because of the regular implementation ofevacuation drills at school, the disaster preparedness measures that were in place beforehand, and timely
responses by school staff, there was no loss of lives among children under care and school staff. Because ofthis outcome, we carried out the study to investigate about and document the disaster risk reduction (DRR)
measures taken by nursery schools before, during and after the disaster.

2.

Study Subjects
Authorized nursery schools in Iwate (n=353)

3.

Study Methods■ Multiple choice survey questionnaire: Carried out at all authorized nursery schools in Iwate.
■ Open-ended survey questionnaire: For those nursery schools that evacuated outside the school compounds

after the earthquake occurred.
■ Interviews: Carried out at those nursery schools in the coastal region that were directly affected (destroyed ordamaged) by the tsunami (n=18).
Numbers of Participated Nursery Schools
Total

Multiple choice

Open-ended

Interviews

Coastline

63

52

36

17

Northern

48

35

11

1

Central

109

76

0

0

Southern

133

100

0

0

Tsunamiaffected areas

93

73

47

18

Other areas

260

190

0

0

Prefecture total

353

263

47

18

4.

Contents of the Study (See the survey questionnaire sheets in Pages 36~40)
１）【Multiple-choice survey questionnaire】①Nursery school’s disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures in place prior to the disaster;②Situations at nursery school when the earthquake occurred ③Evacuation measures
２）【Open-ended survey questionnaire】①State of the day when the earthquake/tsunami occurred ②Conditions of the evacuation and shelter③Other issues that concern since the disaster5.

Methods of Analysis
In this study, for the responses regarding the disaster experiences, we have divided and compared between 12
tsunami-affected municipalities (Rikuzentakata, Ofunato, Kamaishi, Otsuchi, Yamada, Miyako, Iwaizumi,
Tanohata, Fudai, Noda, Hirono, and Kuji) and other areas. For the findings in relation to the pre-disaster DRR
measures at nursery schools in Iwate, we have used the 4 administrative divisions for analysis and comparison.
In addition, we have used simple quantitative formulations to analyze the multiple choice survey results andapplied qualitative coding methods for the open-ended survey and interview inputs.

6.

Duration of the Study
Survey questionnaires: March 26, 2012 - April 20, 2012
Interviews: April 3, 2012 – April 17, 2012

7.

Others
It is noted that this study should not be substituted as a disaster risk reduction (DRR) manual for nursery schools
and/or other child welfare and education institutions. Furthermore, it is not our intention to evaluate any groups orindividuals by using the numerical data and descriptive contents that had been collected through this study. It
also needs to be noted that there are limitations in regards to the study methods and data analyses.
Research Consultant

Chiharu Kondo

Japan Committee for UNICEF / University of Pittsburgh

1) As of March 2012, 33 municipalities in Iwate were divided into the following four administrative promotional areas:· Coastline: Miyako, Ofunato, Rikuzentakata, Kamaishi, Sumita, Otsuchi, Yamada, Iwaizumi, Tanohata· Northern: Kuji, Ninohe, Fudai, Karumai, Noda, Kunohe, Hirono, Ichinohe· Central: Morioka, Hatimantai, Shizukuishi, Iwate, Takizawa, Shiwa, Yahata· Southern: Hanamaki, Kitakami, Tono, Ichinoseki, Oshu, Nisiwaga, Kanegasaki, Hiraizumi

2

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Map
of
Iwate
HironoKarumai

Northern
NinoheKunoheIchinohe

Tsunami-Affected
Municipalities (n=12)

Kuji
Noda

Hachimantai

Fudai

Kuzumaki
Iwate

Tonohata

CentralIwaizumi

Takizawa
Morioka

Coastline

Shizukuishi

MiyakoYahabaShiwa

YamadaHanamakiOtsuchi

Nishiwaga

Tono
Kamaishi

Kitakami

Kanegasaki

Southern

SumitaOfunatoOshu

RikuzentakataHiraizumi
Ichinoseki

0

10

20km

Damages of Nursery Schools in Iwate
Structural
DamagesCompletely
damagedPartially
damaged

Other damages

Total

Public

7

0

61

68

Private

5

6

72

83

Total

12

6

133

151

3

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Part

1

Beginning of
the DisasterPhoto provided by a nursery school in Yamada city

On March 11, 2011, at 2:46 p.m., when theearthquake started, children at nursery schools 2
were about to wake up from afternoon naps. Schoolstaff were engaging in office work in classroom or
staffroom.
The earthquake gradually grew larger. Even adults
were unable to stay standing and felt fear that theschool buildings might collapse. While the tremors
continued, child caregivers changed children’s
clothes, put their jackets on, and prepared forevacuation. The power went off throughout Iwate
r i g h t a f t e r t h e e a r t h q u a ke. A s a f t e r s h o ck s
continued, nursery schools in the coastal region
made the decision to evacuate from the early stageof the crisis.
Although recalled as “we evacuated as practiced”,
Disaster-affected Rikuzentakata city
many nursery school staff had to make decisions©JCU/K.Shindo
based on the situations that they faced. For
example, at a regular drill, they would start evacuation only after all classes were gathered. However, on
the day of the disaster, they quickly began evacuation from the class that gathered first. As anotherexample, they arrived in the evacuation location that had been determined beforehand. However, they felt
the danger even there, so continued the evacuation to a higher ground. Many school staff had to beflexible at the evacuation.
It was noted, furthermore, that, even though there was no disaster information attainable due to the power
failure, the evacuation of nursery schools were assisted by the community. It was still quite cold in theevening of March, and, due to the power outrage, they could not use heaters at nursery schools. Many
kept children warm by staying inside the school buildings after checking the safety, or in the vehicles ofschool staff’s until their parents picked them up. In the mean time, many nursery schools in the coastal
region continued the evacuation seeking for safer refuges.

Situation of the Day
The survey showed that, when the earthquake occurred,
84% of the nursery schools in Iwate had been "at nap time"(See Chart 1). Some children were sleeping, or others were
waking up, using toilets, sitting on potties, changing clothes,eating afternoon snacks, or getting ready to go home early
for the weekend.

The month of March was the end of school year, and children
in preschool classes were preparing for the move fromnursery to elementary schools. At the time of the earthquake,in some nursery schools, children were skipping the nap
time, practicing their performances to be shown at thegraduation ceremonies.

2 ) In this survey study, “nursery school” will be used as a general term for those institutions that provide childcare services and whose services have been authorized by the governments.

4

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

0

20

Under careinside school

40

60

80

100%

34%

Under care in theplayground0%

Taking a walkoutside0%

Taking a nap

84%

The survey showed that, immediately after the earthquake
occurred, child caregivers helped children protect their heads
and bodies by going under the tables or cover using the
bedding materials. Furthermore, 68% of the nursery schools
did “turn off or check gas stoves/or heaters,” and at 59% ofnursery schools, directors went around to perform the safety
check (See Chart 3).

Chart 3 : The actions staff took when the earthquake
happened (Multiple selections permitted)

Getting readyfor home

2%

Went down undertables/desks
and covered heads

Closed(no children in school)0%

Turned off
gas stoves/heaters

0

Went out tothe playground

These were the circumstances when the earthquake disasterhad occurred, and it seemed that all the nursery school
children were inside the school buildings. School staff werealso inside the buildings, doing office work in the classroom
or staffroom, or holding a staff meeting.

Immediate Actions andEvacuation Preparation
At 2:46 p.m., the earthquake began. The survey showed that,at all nursery schools throughout Iwate, “it was clearly
noticeable” (Chart 2).

Part1 Beginning of the Disaster

Chart 1 : What were the children doing when theearthquake happened? (Multiple selections permitted)

Checked aroundinside the school

20

40

60

80

100%
87%

68%
24%
59%

Did nothing 0%

The earthquake was not only enormous but also continued fora long time. Many recalled as follows: “The tremor did notstop for a long time, so we went outside without waiting,” or“Fearing the building would collapse or ceiling fall, we
decided to go outside immediately.” At some nursery schools,
without waiting for the director’s instructions, child caregivers
took children out of the buildings and began preparing forevacuation.

Chart 2 : Did you notice the earthquake when
you were at school?
No answer
3%

Clearly noticed
97%

Inside of a tsunami-affected school building
Photo provided by a nursery school in Rikuzentakata city.

Voice

In the middle of the strong tremor…
“It started shaking, and I heard children screaming, andsome crying. Child caregivers were calming down thechildren, telling them “Don’t worry. Everything will be OK.” I
made an emergency announcement to instruct children togather beside the caregivers.
I turned off the microphone once, but the tremor continued,
getting more intensive that I couldn’t walk around. As I
managed to come out to the hallways and checked theclassrooms, everyone had gathered in the middle of theroom in each class, like we had practiced in the drill.
Children were covering their heads with the beddings thatwere used for napping, and child caregivers started putting
jackets and room shoes on to children.
The emergency light turned on when it was still shaking so I
knew that it was “a power failure”. I let everyone stay in theclassroom until the tremors stopped, and passed aroundthe protective hoods for children.
(The account recalled by the director of a nursery school in
Otsuchi)5Even though it was during the nap time, the preparation forevacuation began immediately. Some recalled as: “Despite
the tremor, we changed children’s clothes under the cover of
beddings,” “We put jackets on to children over their pajamas
to get ready for evacuation,” or “After getting out of thebuilding, we put a tarpaulin sheet on the ground andchanged children’s clothes there.” In addition, someremembered as: “We continued talking to children not to feel
worried.” While carefully watching the state of children,nursery school staff were getting ready to evacuate children.

Roll Call and Safety Confirmation
The survey showed that, after the tremor was settled, the rollcall and safety check of all children and staff were performed
at 95% of the nursery schools. However, while more did
inside the school building in the inland region, more than ahalf of the nursery schools in the coastal region, which weredirectly affected by the tsunami, performed the roll call andsafety confirmation outside of the building (See Chart 4).

Chart 4 : When the tremor stopped, where did
you carry out the roll-call and safety-check?
(Multiple selections permitted)

100%
80

52%

The states of children when the earthquake
happened (From the interviews):· “Some children were shocked by the huge tremor,
upset and crying fearfully.”· “Some children who were napping or using the toilet
were sobbing, or cried for a short while.”· “Children followed teachers’ instructions like in theregular drill.”· “ S o m e c h i l d re n w e n t u n d e r t h e d e s k w i t h o u t
instructions.”· “Children were wearing the protective hoods given bychild caregivers.”· “Children were relatively composed.”· “Only one or two children held tight on to theirteachers, but overall everyone acted orderly like in theregular practice.”· “There was no one who cried endlessly or made a big
fuss.”‘this is not normal’, went outside right away, and began theevacuation.” It seemed that, because there were possible
risks of building collapses or falling objects, and also
because the tsunami warning was issued, many nurseryschools decided to immediately evacuate to the outside theirschool premises.
In contrast, 82% of the nursery schools in the other inland
region stayed inside of their premises (including playgrounds)
to standby for possible evacuation (Chart 5).

67%
60

Voice

55%
45%

40

Chart 5 : Did you evacuate outside of the school premises?

20
0

100%

Tsunami-affected areas

Other areas

5%

1%■Stayed inside
the school premises(e.g., classrooms,
playgrounds)■Carried out the roll-call and safety-confirmation inside the buildings■Carried out the roll-call and safety-confirmation outside

80

45%

Because the tremor was large and long, many remembered
the situations as follows: “Being inside the building would be
dangerous,” “Perhaps tsunami is coming…,” “Usually wewould evacuate only after everyone in the school gathered
and was confirmed. But, on that day, we let each class startevacuating as soon as they were ready,” or “Generally wewould go outside only after the tremor is settled. But, we wentout of the building while it was still shaking.” Feeling thesense of danger that they had not felt in the regular drill,nursery school staff made the “safer” decisions and began toevacuate to the outside of the school building at the earlystage.

Starting the Evacuation
In the coastal region where the tsunami damages weresevere, 49% of the nursery schools evacuated to the outsidesof their premises. Some reached to their pre-determinedevacuation points or to the temporary evacuation locations
that were assigned by the local governments. Someremembered as: “Because the tremor was so big, we thought

6

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

82%

60

■No answer■Evacuated outside
the school premises(e.g., evacuation locations
identified in advance)40
The percentages arerounded off, so the total
will not be 100%.

49%
20

18%
0

Tsunami-affected
areas

Other
areas

Some recalls of the situations included as follows: “Weevacuated to the playground once. After checked the safetyinside the building, we let children go inside and standby forevacuation,” “Since it was cold outside, we waited in theclassrooms for children’s parents to come,” and “Despite thecold weather outside, we didn't go back to the building. We
took shelter inside the vehicles of school staff’s or school bus
so that we could keep ourselves warm.”

What was it like inside nursery schools whenthe earthquake was happening?
~ Notes from the tsunami-affected coastal region(collected through the surveys and interviews)

Map
of
Iwate

HironoKarumai

Northern
NinoheKunoheIchinohe

Kuji
Noda

Hachimantai

Fudai

Kuzumaki
Iwate

Tonohata

CentralPart1 Beginning of the Disaster

Voice
Kuji
· We covered children with the bedding, and calmed themdown so that they wouldn’t panic. The director wentaround classrooms, and instructed school staff to checkfor fires and get ready for evacuation. Around 14:57,
everyone wore jackets and gathered at the playground.
Staff carried out roll calls, and explained to the children
about the situation. We then began the evacuation. The
director held a guide flag, loudspeaker, and a radio. The
chief teacher took children’s attendance. Class teachers
were leading children in the evacuation. Children wore
regular clothes and jackets over their pajamas. We also
put clothes on the babies. School staff carried babies on
their backs, covered with blankets, and held their bags.
They also put on their own class caps.
· When the earthquake happened, child caregivers woke
children up from their naps, and the director instructed
them to move to safer areas in the classrooms. However,
because the tremor was strong and lasted long, we all
evacuated outside of the building. Children were only intheir underwear. When the earthquake settled down, we
moved all the children to the hall and put clothes andshoes on to them. Then, again, we went out to theplayground to take shelter, and covered the children withblankets.

Iwaizumi

Noda

Takizawa
Morioka

Otsuchi· As done in the regular drill, we covered the children withbedding. Although we followed the emergency manual, wewere so fearful of such a strong tremor that we madechildren change their clothes quickly and let the classbegin the evacuation as soon as they were ready.
· Child caregivers confirmed whether all children lay on
the floor with their stomachs down. We directed children
to stay under the bedding. We took safety measures by
securing the emergency exits and closing the curtains
on the windows.

Kamaishi

YamadaCoastline

Shizukuishi

MiyakoYahabaShiwa

YamadaHanamakiNishiwaga

Tono
Kitakami

Kanegasaki

Southern

SumitaOfunatoOshu

RikuzentakataHiraizumi· The huge tremor continued for a long time. It seemed asif the building would collapse. It caused a crack inplayground. We woke the children up and guided themto go out. We put tarpaulin sheets on the ground, andhad children change their clothes on them.
· We were surprised by the cell phones suddenly beeping
for the earthquake warning. We had an earthquake twodays earlier, but they didn't beep, so we thought “anearthquake bigger than the one two days ago is coming.”

Ichinoseki

Otsuchi

0

10

20km

· The earthquake had strong lateral vibrations and lasted
long, which we had never experienced before. However,there were no damages in the window glasses, no falling
objects from the shelves, or no collapses of the building.

OfunatoRikuzentakata· We thought that the ceilings would fall down. It seemed dangerous
since there were no desks because it was a napping time. “This is
not a normal earthquake.” Immediately the power went out, andwe could not use the microphone for announcements. We
instructed everyone to get out of the building in a loud voice.
· The earthquake caused three (3) cracks in the playground, so we
moved out of the compound.
· There was a crack inside the school building. One window glass
broke. Various objects jumped out of the shelves, and were
scattered on the floor.

· In the hall, the ceiling panels started shaking and shiftingin all directions. We kept children away from the ceilingfans. As the tremor settled, we instructed everyone to get
out to the playground. We found out that there was a
crack at the first evacuation area (nearby the iron bars) inthe playground, so we changed the refuge location to in
front of baby’s classroom and tires.
· Each child covered their heads with bedding or
backpacks that were stuffed with pajamas. There wasdust falling from the ceiling, a clock fell down from thewall, documents and files jumped out of the lockers, anda TV set dropped from the stand. We felt the danger,
and called out everyone to get out to the playground.

7

Evacuation Means/Methods
During the evacuation, child caregivers carried 0 to 2 year
old children on their backs, using “baby carriers (straps),” or
put them in “evacuation trolleys.” For older children, over 2-3
years old, teachers led their evacuation, and children walked
quickly or ran. Some nursery schools used “walking ropes”(with handles where children hold on).
They also loaded the evacuation trolleys, which the smallchildren were already in, with blankets, diapers, emergency
food, tissue papers, and more. These trolleys required morethan one staff to push because of the weight. It seemed thatbaby carriers were used during the evacuation in many schools,
because, while carrying a baby on his/her back, staff could freeboth hands to carry or do other things. Most nursery schools
recalled: “The evacuation went as practiced.”
Some remembered, in addition, how the communities helped
their evacuations as follows: “Firemen lead our evacuation,”“During the middle of our evacuation, community volunteer
fire fighters lent us their hands,” “When we had to climb thewall, students from junior high school helped our children to

Voice

States of the Children during Evacuation:· Children were more serious and desperate than during
the regular drill;· Children clearly understood school staff’s instructions,and they seemed to sense the tense atmosphere;· Children waited for their parents to pick up, without
crying, on their ways up to or even after arriving to themountain;· Some children stopped walking when hearing cars
(thinking that their parents had come to pick them up),so we continued telling them not to stop, but to keepon walking;· Children seemed to realize the seriousness of theemergency situation, they did not joke nor cry, andlistened to their teachers talking.

Nursery school staff and children taking refuge in the school yard
Photo provided by a nursery school in Yamada city.

climb over,” or “Neighboring residents held hands of thechildren during the evacuation.”
After the tsunami pulled back, some nursery schools used thestaff’s vehicles that were safe from the tsunami, school buses,
fire trucks, or government vehicles, to transfer children tosecondary evacuation or shelter locations. However, in somecases, they had to walk through the tsunami-damaged areas,and child caregivers made sure of the safety of the children
along the routes.
It was clear that the school staff were assessing various
situations while conducting the evacuation. This is proved in
the following accounts:• “When we checked the surroundings of our school, there
was no mudslide, so we took our regular evacuation route.”• “Because a wall near the evacuation area that had been
assigned beforehand had collapsed, we took refuge in the
nearby kindergarten.”• “When we went up on the mountain, we stayed away fromthe crowd of residents, to avoid the children from being
pushed or crushed.”• “We evacuated to the temple once, but so many residents
crowded the place. We thought that it would get
unsanitary, and decided to bring the children back toelementary school.”
It was evident that many constantly evaluated their situationand determined the safest ways of evacuation for thechildren.

Emergency Carry-Out 3

Evacuation trolleys©JCU

The survey showed that, when evacuating, about a half of thenursery schools carried out children’s name registers, first aid
kits, blankets/towels, and radios/cellphones. On the contrary,
the chart shows that there were only few schools that tookmoney (including small change) and other valuables, andeven fewer brought protective hoods/hard hats for children(Chart 6).

3 ) It is suggested to consider "the necessary articles to take in an emergency" and "the articles to stockpile for the time of a disaster" separately. This section describes the former
subject, while the latter subject will be included in the later chapter. Furthermore, "emergency carry-out" is considered to be the minimum necessary goods and supplies that are
to be carried out at the time of evacuation and required for taking temporary refuge under the situation where children and school staff could not return to the nursery schools forthe duration of temporary evacuation.

8

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

0

20

40

60

Children’s nameregisters

100%

60%

First aid kit
Protective hoods/
Hard hats

80

47%
5%

Blankets/
towels, etc

51%Radio, radiophone,
cellphone, etc

50%

Money,
incl. small change

13%• “For first aid kits, we use shoulder bags so that both hands
are free, and we use them for daily walk as well.”• “Regarding valuable documents, they were too heavy tocarry out when an emergency tsunami advisory wasissued last time. So we decided to double-wrap them inplastic bags and store them on the office shelves. In thistsunami, our school building was flooded, but the
documents were safe.”• “Going up to the high ground, evacuation trolleys areheavy, and baby carriers are more useful. We haveequipped one baby carrier per staff member and installed
them in all rooms and hallways.”• “Setting up an evacuation trolley may take extra time andeffort, so we have repeatedly practiced the quick
installation of the trolley.”• “When took refuge in the past, the waiting time became
long and children became thirsty. So, we added bottles ofdrinking water in emergency carry bags.”

As for protective hoods, it came out that some schools did
not stock them for the children. However, according to thenursery schools that took emergency evacuation, protective
hoods became very useful, not only to protect children’s
heads from falling objects or fire, but also to use them against
the cold weather. At some schools, they didn’t just keep themin a box, but actually had them stored in the cushion covers
and used them as chair cushions on a daily basis, so thatthey could be quickly pulled out for emergency use.

However, the study also shows that there were some nurseryschools that could not take any emergency supplies at
evacuation as proven in the following accounts: “We did notprepare emergency carry bags.” “There was no time to go backfor the important documents.” “We thought that we could return toschools.”

Many nursery schools had prepared “emergency carry bags”
with various emergency supplies and installed them in eachclassroom. Furthermore, they prepared different bags forimportant documents and emergency food provisions andstored them in office and kitchen respectively. After thedisaster, some schools increased the numbers of emergency
carry bags and stored them not only in classrooms but also in
different locations throughout the school premises.

It seemed crucial to take certain things from school at thetime of crisis, as shown in the following comments: “Wewished to have a little more food to eat,” or “We lost our
official seal and important documents, so we experienced
problems after the disaster.” At the same time, the study
discovered that many nursery schools prioritized thechildren’s evacuation, highlighted in the following response:“We primarily focused on making sure of children’s safety.”

Some schools realized that each age class required different
emergency supplies to meet the needs of the children. Also,
those emergency carry bags should not be too heavy forschool staff to carry. School staff reviewed and revised thecontents of the bags by carrying them out during the actual
drill (Table 1).
Table 1
Contents that can be considered for emergency carry-out(Selected from the survey responses):· Children’s name registers· Protective hoods / Hard hats

· Stationary/Writing materials· Radios / Walkie-talkies /Mobile phones· Loud speakers / Hand
microphones / Whistles

Part1 Beginning of the Disaster

Chart 6 : What did you bring when you evacuated?

In addition, some schools came up with some good ideas asfollows:

Earthquake and Tsunami Information
In the survey, less than a half, or 49%, of the nursery schools in
the affected municipalities responded as “We listened to theearthquake information when the tremor stopped.” In contrast,
about two thirds of those in the inland region were able to checkthe information (Chart 7).
Immediately after the earthquake, there was a power failure in
the wide area throughout the prefecture, and instantly it
became impossible to watch televisions or use landline
telephones. For this reason, many nursery schools usedradios, including emergency radio systems, to obtain theinformation about the earthquake and tsunami (Chart 8).

· Plastic (tarpaulin) sheets· Guide flags· Blankets (for cold weather)· First aid kits

· Extra clothes and diapers· Flashlights· (Bath) Towels· Baby strollers / (Evacuation)
trolleys· Emergency food provisions /snacks· Baby carriers / straps· Drinking water· (Safety) walking ropes· (Moist) tissues"The channel on the portable radio were set, and we checked
the remaining level of the batteries.” "Radios were placed in
the office and at the entrance.” As seen in the above
responses, some nursery schools had prepared the radio
sets as part of the disaster preparedness measures. Someother schools followed the example after the disaster.
Some school staff used cellphones to obtain the disaster9

Chart 7 : When the tremor stopped,
did you check the earthquake information?
100%

Chart 8 : How did you confirm the earthquake /tsunami information?
0

20

40

60

80

100%

80
67%

Via radio

71%

60
On TV

49%

7%

40
On the Internet

3%

20

0

Tsunami-affected areas

Other areas

related information. “Just before the earthquake occurred, ourcellphones on the desk began ringing loudly to warn of theincoming earthquake.” “We checked the disaster information
via the TV broadcasting services on the cellphones.” Others
used the radio or navigation equipment on the vehicles tolisten to the earthquake and tsunami information. It was notedthat these communication equipment, which were usable
even in blackouts, became highly useful.
In the coastal region, the governments’ emergency radio
announcement systems were also damaged by the disaster.
Some remembered as “We heard the tsunami warning via
radio once only”, and they could not use the radio systemafter that. Some said “We don’t know if we heard the warning
or not,” because they were confused in the middle ofevacuation preparation or had already begun the evacuation.
Many, about 40%, of the nursery schools in the coastal region
confirmed of the earthquake and tsunami information fromchildren’s parents who came to pick up or the residents livingin the school’s neighborhoods. Some others learned about
the disaster or received instructions from officials from theBaby carriers are always stocked as evacuation items.
©JCU

10

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

By phone20%

From
the neighbors

21%

local government, fire department, police or disasterprevention centers, or community leaders.
“While there was no clear information, we were confused
because we heard different stories.” “There was a generator
at the house where we took refuge, and we could watch
television. However, the broadcasts were showing only thesituations of Miyagi Prefecture, and we did not know thedetailed situations of our local area.” “We received some
information from the people who had radios during the night.
But, the next morning, we saw the state and scale of thedisaster with our own eyes, and we were completely
shocked.” These accounts show that many nursery schoolstaff took refuge, feeling anxious, under such circumstanceswhere there was no electricity or communication, and nodisaster-related information or evacuation guidance available
from the local governments.

Tsunami, coming to the school yard and sweeping away children’s playequipments
Photo provided by a nursery school in Yamada city.

Rikuzentakata• We heard the fireman shouting, “Tsunami! Tsunami!”, andringing the bell loudly. We were on the playground, andwhen we turned around, we saw smoke in the distance as
the tsunami was coming up the river.
• While waiting at the mountain side of the schoolyard, we
heard someone yelling, “Waves are now over the bank!
Go higher!” The only place that we could go higher was
the mountain, so we climbed up by grabbing the grass.
We carried smaller children on our backs, and older pupils
from the elementary school held the hands of the otherchildren and took them up. We could see from themountain that there was an explosion and fire from a gas
tank or a car near the school buildings. We went on up on
the mountain slope by pushing bamboo bushes aside.
Ofunato• When we looked back, we saw that the tsunami hadreached up as far as we could see. In the end, it came all
the way up to the care center for elderly people, which islocated on higher ground than our nursery school.
Kamaishi• While still shaking, one of the child caregivers checked theinformation on her cellphone, and it said, “Tsunami willreach up to 50cm (or 20 inch or 1 & 2/3 ft) high”. We
thought, “Even 50cm is no good. We must evacuate
immediately,” and gave an order for evacuation.
• When we looked down to the sea from the evacuationarea, there were wave splashes that looked like clouds orfogs. “This is indeed tsunami! Let’s go higher!” As welooked towards where our nursery school was, we could
only see the roofs of the building floating in the water.
There were only the three-story teachers’ living quarterbuilding, elementary school and junior high school visible.
• Since the aftershocks continued, we thought that it
wouldn’t be safe to be only halfway up on the mountain,
and decided to go on up to the top. As we climbed, we
knew from the other residents’ commotion that the tsunami
had come.
Otsuchi• When we realized it, there was black smoke rising up in
the direction of the town center, and we saw what looked
like fog or mist above the smoke (later we learned that it
was spray). We continued up along the main road tohigher ground, and took refuge. Then, we looked at the

Part1 Beginning of the Disaster

The State of Tsunami ~ Testimonies from the Coastal Municipalities
town center again, which was struck by the tsunami. There
were fires in two locations.
• There were so many people running away from the direction of
town center. We saw sand clouds at the direction of the rivergate, and telephone poles started collapsing in the distance.
We decided to evacuate to higher ground. After reaching half
way up, we saw that the tsunami had just crested over the ironbridge of JR railways. Down from where we were, there was aparking lot and a gas station, and at that spot we could see
the tsunami, whirling around, colliding houses and vehicles liketoys. The water level was rising rapidly.
Yamada• Three staff, including the director, remained behind conducting
the last safety check and lock-up,before leaving the school.
Upon reaching higher ground, we heard the loud ‘roaring’sound of the tsunami, which we’d never heard before.
• After reaching the temple on the higher ground, we laidcardboard on the ground, and let the children sit on them.
Soon we heard horrible/violent sounds. When we looked
towards the sea, the huge wave, which looked like a giant
white wall, completely covering the buildings in the harbor, wasalready coming towards us. We all said, “It’s a tsunami!” andmoved all the children to a higher area behind the temple. At
the same time, fires erupted in two locations. We thought thateven there, it was dangerous, and decided to take refuge
upwards.
• Looking down from our nursery school on the hill, we saw ahouse floating away. We did not recognize that it was atsunami, and could not comprehend what was happening.
Seeing a house slowly drifting away seemed like watching amovie or something.
Miyako• We reached the schoolyard of a junior high school, and took
refuge there. In less than four minutes, we heard “It’s atsunami!,” and started running across the schoolyard towards
the mountain, holding each other’s hands. We could see
splashes and sand clouds, and the sound was awful. As there
was nothing to grab on the mountain slope, we pushed up
children from the back. Junior high school students and local
residents were also with us, so they helped our children.
Noda• We heard a big ‘bang’ sound. As looking towards the pine
grove at the shore, we saw a white wave on top and a blackwave on the bottom coming in.

Voice

What was happening to the children then?
· Tsunami came in no time. Children saw it and somestarted crying.
· While climbing up on the stone steps, some children
turned round and looked at the tsunami, so we cautioned
them not to look back, and to watch their steps.
· One boy got little excited after seeing the state of the town

from the main road on the high ground.
· Many children got anxious from the screams of theresidents who had escaped.
· We could not see the tsunami from our nursery school, butsome children saw the tsunami on their ways home, fromthe high ground.
· Children did not see the tsunami, so they seemed not tounderstand what was happening.

11

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Part

2

Conditions at
Evacuation Areas©UNICEF/NYHQ2011-0494/Dean

The large-scale earthquake and the tsunami heavily
damaged the lifeline services: the power went off
immediately; information networks were cut off;heating systems couldn’t be used; and sewage
systems were also unusable in many areas. Evacuees
kept themselves warm with extra blankets and oilheaters, and listened to the portable radios fordisaster-related news. However, it was extremely
difficult to grasp the whole effect of the catastrophe.
Since the water and sewage systems stopped,
toilets got blocked, and for drinking, people had torely on bottled water that had been stored in case ofan emergency. As for food, the food that was
At the evacuation area, right after the disasterprovided at shelters, proved to be insufficient. Some
(The photo does not relate to the text directly)
nursery schools managed to get through with the©JCU/K.Shindo
emergency provisions and snacks that they brought
out from schools. Under such conditions, many nursery schools received various help and assistance fromthe communities. It seemed that people at shelters gave extra care and priority to the small children of thenursery schools.
From the moment the earthquake occurred, from evacuation to handing over the children to their parents,
conducting confirmation of safety, and resuming the nursery care services, many nursery school staff wererequired to perform beyond what they had prepared for in the drills. Furthermore, even though some ofthem lost their houses or family members to the tsunami, they continued working hard to re-open theschools under such mentally difficult situations.
Many nursery schools could not get in touch with children’s parents due to the power failure. Immediately
after the first tremor stopped, many parents came to schools and children were handed over to theirparents. However, a few of those children who left with their parents lost their lives in the tsunami. Even
after the tsunami receded, it remained difficult for parents to pick up their children, so some children had tostay with child caregivers at schools or shelters for long hours. Because of these experiences, many
nursery schools are revising and improving their measures on how to correspond and coordinate withparents during an emergency.

12

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Keeping Warm
It was still cold in March, and it started snowing in theevening. Nursery schools took refuge outside of the schoolbuildings, and stayed for long hours without electricity.
Whether at evacuation shelters or inside the schoolbuildings, it was necessary to take some measures to keep
children warm.

At shelters, small children were assigned to rooms first, or
given priority for the distribution of oil heaters. In the rooms,
some put judo’s tatami or gymnastic mats or used silvercolored insulation sheets that were sold at stores to keep thefloors warm. Since there were not enough blankets orheaters in some shelters, they wrapped themselves with thewindow or blackout curtains to bear the coldness.

Part2 Conditions at vacuation Areas

Children were trembling in the coldness. In the coastal area,
they were wrapped with blankets or covered by plastic/tarpaulinsheets, while staying outside. At some elementary schools thatwere assigned as temporary evacuation areas, tents wereerected. Children were given disposable hand-warmers thatwere brought out from schools or given by local residents. Some
nursery schools used their protective hoods to keep children
warm. Even in the areas where nursery schools did not need totake evacuation measures, aftershocks and power failurescontinued, and children stayed inside school staff’s vehicles orschool buses to stay warm.

Child caregivers made sure to change the children’s clothes,putting on their jackets, and setting up trolleys, but some ofthem did not put on their own jackets for the evacuation.
They put blankets, quilts and bath towels into the remaining
spaces of the trolleys after putting the children in. Thoseblankets, quilts and bath towels became very useful during
the evacuation stand-by. In some communities, local
residents lent blankets and jackets to the school children
and staff. For those schools that were not directly affectedby the tsunami, school staff checked the safety of the schoolbuildings, and carried out quilts, blankets, carpets and matsfor use at shelters.

Heating appliances that require power supplies were not
usable due to the power failures (In a few shelters that were
equipped with generators, electricity and heaters wereused). Many shelters and households had to use oil/kerosene heaters. Some nursery schools were equipped withthese kerosene heaters, and some school staff brought themin from their own houses, or they borrowed these heatersfrom the communities. In some instances shelter buildings
were equipped with them.

It is still cold in March. Winter clothes are necessary.
©UNICEF/NYHQ2011-0493/Dean

In some shelters, only one blanket was distributed to each
person, which was not sufficient to keep warm. Outside,
local residents and firemen made fires in the open-air allnight. Inside, evacuees had to keep heaters and candles
burning throughout the night. Nursery school staff took turns
to watch the heaters and candles.

Voice

States of the Children at Evacuation Areas:· Some children were trembling from the cold.
· Every time an aftershock happened, some children cried,
became scared, anxious, nervous, or visibly showed signs
that they were enduring the situation.
· Some children got dehydrated from not being able to drink
enough.
· A few children felt sick, vomited, or ran fevers.
· As time passed, some children were calmed down, butothers remained feeling uneasy.
· Some children were shocked at seeing so many evacuees.
· No child complained that they were hungry.
· Maybe they were exhausted, because the children slept wellduring the night.
· It was not like children were sleeping soundly untill themorning, but they were somehow sleeping.
· As aftershocks continued throughout the night, we waited forthe morning by having the children wear jackets andprotective hoods, keeping on their shoes, while resting in thebedding.
· In the middle of the night, some children screamed due toanxiety.
· Some children complained of itching their body from stress.
· Some children under 3 years-old were awake in the nightand slept during the day.
· Children whose parents came for them were relived andpleased, and returned to their parents after the long
separation.
· Those children whose parents had not yet come looked
uneasy, wondering if their parents would come for them ornot, and did not smile much.
· Some children started crying only after seeing their parents’faces.
· A few children felt uneasy, and did not want to leave thestaff’s sides.
· Children were calmed and feeling safe by being with theirchild caregivers.

13

Food Situations
When the earthquake occurred, afternoon snacks werebeing prepared at many nursery schools. In addition to thefood provisions and drinking water that had been stored foran emergency, school kitchen staff loaded the afternoon
snacks into the evacuation trolleys. At the temporary
evacuation areas, children could have some of theemergency food like hard-baked biscuits or candies, or the
snacks that had been brought out from schools to avoid
feeling hungry.
The food situation was different by shelters. Some immediately
started a makeshift kitchen to cook for evacuees. At someshelters, one rice ball was provided per person by theevening. Some food that were available to evacuees in othershelters included breads, instant ramen noodles, instantsoups, sweets, soba noodles, or “bento” boxes provided by
the stores that had been safe from the tsunami.
Once settled at shelters, some of the school staff went home
to bring food, like rice balls and fruit, for the children andother staff. Or, some staff who worked at shelters or local
after-school care centers gave some sweets to the children.
There were however, a few shelters that could not operate
makeshift kitchens right away. Some nursery schools had to
manage to spend the whole evening and night with only thefood that they brought from the schools. There was one
nursery school that shared pieces of pickles given by a local
resident and a small amount of water in a bottle cap for eachchild and adult to have for the night.

the babies to their parents, they delivered the baby milk to
the families who took refuge at shelters.

The second day and after were more or less the same. A
few more shelters began makeshift kitchens, providing somesoup with simple rice balls. However, at some other shelters,
there was not enough food. For example, one evacuatednursery school received only a few bento boxes to sharebetween several children. Or another shelter could only
provide a single piece of bread and a cup of tea per family.
The child caregivers continued to feed the children, notknowing when the food would be provided or when they
could eat next time, and worried about the limited amount offood that they had with them.

Even under the circumstances where there was not enoughfood at shelters, child caregivers made efforts to keep
children calm by giving light snacks and some liquid even insmall amounts. Overall, it was notable that there were notmany shelters that had sufficient food for all evacuees.
However, all the evacuated nursery schools somehow
managed to provide children with some food from makeshift
kitchens, given by local residents or carried out fromschools, until they returned the children to their parents.

In terms of water access, the situations were also varied –some places had access to tap water and others
experienced the water supplies cut off. Some local people
stored water before it was suspended, and others hadaccess to spring or well water. Some had bottled water
stored, or others bought canned drinks from the vending
machines.

The large-scale earthquake and tsunami caused serious
damage to the lifeline infrastructures, including both watersupplies and sewage systems. In the coastal areas where thedamages were severe, many recalled, “Tap water was
working in the beginning, but, by night, it was cut offcompletely,” or “In the beginning, we could use toilets, but,during the night, they got clogged up, and no longer became
usable.” Due to the power failures, the pumps were notworking, and, after the water in the tanks were exhausted, thewater supplies stopped.

As for cooking, where equipped with propane gas, people
could use gas for cooking. Others used portable gas stoves
or made fires in the open-air to cook.
Many nursery schools had included baby milk in theemergency carry bags. Others were given baby milk fromlocal residents. Thus, they could feed the babies with thatmilk at the shelters. Even after the nursery schools returned

14

The “emergency carry bag” and the content©JCU

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Sanitary Environments

As for the sewage systems, because many residents took
refuge at the same locations at once and used the samefacilities, flush toilets ran out of water, clogged up and were
unusable by the night of the disaster.

In the areas where the water supplies were suspended,shelters used the water from school pools or from wells andsprings, to flush the toilets, while throwing the toilet tissues inthe trash cans. In other shelters, people covered the toilet
bowls with plastic garbage bags, placed newspapers inthem, and threw them out after each use. Each shelter had
to arrange rules for evacuees to follow. However, many
toilets at shelters were not suitable for children, and childcaregivers had to make children ‘use the bathroom’ outside.

Table 2. Stockpiled Emergency Supplies (Examples)
Items that were kept readyfor use at nursery school(More than 50% had these
items in school)

Items that were rarely kept
ready for use at nurseryschool (Less than 50 % had
these items in school)· Fire extinguishers· Walkie-talkies· Tools (a hammer, a saw, acrowbar, etc.)· Satellite phones· First aid kits
· Disinfectant

Under such circumstances where access to safe and cleanwater was limited, hand-washing liquid or pre-moistened
wipes were useful. Some nursery schools used (surgical)
masks, washing gloves, or first aid kits that were stocked atschools. They even had extra children’s clothes and diapers
in schools and provided them to the evacuated families of
their children. Because the environments rapidly changed toliving among large groups of evacuees, nursery schools had
to pay extra attentions to the sanitary conditions.

· Matches / lighters· Evacuation guidance tools(a whistle, a loud speaker,
etc.)· Hard hats
· Protective hoods· Extra blankets(for the cold weather)· Emergency food provisions· Flashlights (including
extra batteries)· Drinking water(for an emergency)· Radios· Baby food

· Towels· Tents· Extra children’s clothes(including underwear)· Ropes· Diapers· A bicycle / a motorbike· Baby milk

· Portable gas stoves(including extra gas bottles)· Plastic/tarpaulin sheets· Plastic garbage bags
· Tissues

Part2 Conditions at vacuation Areas

At some shelters, evacuees quickly made simple makeshift
toilets outside, or some temporary portable toilet units were
installed after a few days. In some areas, there were pit
toilets available. However, for small children, it was not safefor their footing, so child caregivers had to assist children to
use the pit toilets. There were not many shelters that were
equipped with toilets for small children.

· Generators· Plastic tanks· Money(including small change)· Masking tapes· Work gloves· Emergency carry bags

Stockpiled Emergency Supplies

4

The emergency supply list includes many items that areused daily at nursery schools. This means that those daily
items could become necessary or useful in an emergency
even though they were not necessarily prepared in advancefor a disaster. However, the survey showed that the items
that were considered as disaster-related goods, such as
walkie-talkies, generators, hard hats, protective hoods forchildren, and plastic tanks, were rarely prepared at nurseryschools (Table 2).
Looking at the rates that the stored items were actually used at
the disaster, most of those items were used in the tsunamiaffected areas at higher rates than in the other areas (Chart 9)5.
Especially, the following items were used by a half or more of
the nursery schools, if they were equipped with: flashlights,
radios, walkie-talkies, hoods, blankets, diapers, emergency foodprovisions and drinking water, plastic tanks, bicycles/
motorbikes, portable gas stoves, and children’s name registers.
Outside the list, the study showed that oil heaters,
disposable hand warmers and candles that could be usedeven in a power failure, were used in many places.
Especially, the usage rate of generators was high if it wasavailable for use. However, a few days after the disaster, thelarge area experienced a fuel scarcity, and it was clear that along-term usage of generators should be considered withadditional measures required. In addition, the survey also

· Children’s name registers

showed that, since landline telephones and TVs did not work
the usage rates of radios and cellular phones (including theirbroadcasting services) was high.
Additional items that became useful during the disasterincluded (but not limited to): raincoats and ski jackets for thecold weather; pre-moistened wipes for sanitation purposes;
candies; emergency food provisions for children with foodallergies; rain boots; and scissors. For letting children sit
and rest at evacuation areas, many nursery schools usedplastic (tarpaulin) sheets, mats, and carpets/rugs. At thenursery schools that were not damaged by the tsunami, only
after evacuated, and the situation was settled, school staff
carried the items out of the schools and used them atshelters.

Cooperation with the Communities
The study showed that nursery schools were assisted inmany areas during the disaster by local residents,
community fire fighters, or fire station officials. Furthermore,during the evacuation, nearby elementary and junior highschool students lent their hands to the nursery school
children. And local residents helped guide the children to
escape or provided vehicles to transport the children to
shelters.

4 ) The above list was prepared for the survey purpose, and those items were the examples to be considered for a nursery school to stockpile for an emergency. Thus, the actual
items to be stockpiled for an emergency should not be limited to the above list.
5 ) The usage condition depends on the damage situation of each nursery school, therefore, it is not necessarily appropriate to say that there is a usage trend in the items in Chart 9.

15

Chart 9 : % of actual usages by the items that were stored at school
020Fire extinguisher

0%1%

Tools (hammer, saw,
crowbar, etc)

3%
2%First aid kit
Disinfectant

60

80

100%

21%

2%

14%

2%

Matches/lighter
Evacuation guiding tools(whistle, loudspeaker, etc)

40

26%

13%

27%

8%

Flashlight(with extra batteries)

51%
46%
63%
57%

Radio
Radio phone

Actions by School Staff

Satellite phone 0%0%
33%

Protective
hoods

47%

Towels

32%

6%

49%

10%

Emergency
provisions (food)

32%

9%

Baby food 0%

10%

Plastic/tarpaulinsheetsGarbage bags

24%
24%
5%

Work gloves
Plastic tanks

19%

36%

9%
13%
2%

34%

33%

3%

60%

11%

60%

18%

Portable gas cooker(incl. gas cylinders)

22%

Emergency
carry bag

23%

Children’s nameregisters

70%

Even after letting the children take refuge in a safe location,
there was a possibility that parents might come to the schoolfor their children. Some of the school staff stayed behind to
wait for parents until the last minute before the tsunami
arrived. In another case, despite having the day off from work,some child caregivers rushed to school immediately after theearthquake so that they could help with the evacuation.

37%

9%
2%
36%

54%

■Tsunami-affected areas

16

Many child caregivers left school without wearing jackets or
carrying valuables, because they prioritized the preparationand guiding the children in the evacuation. They carried theemergency bags as well as small children on their backs.
They put more children into the evacuation trolleys thanusual, and stuffed blankets and other items into the spaces
in-between.

11%

Bicycles/motorbikes

Small change(coins)

While experiencing the huge earthquake that would severely
unnerve anyone, nursery school staff kept their composuresand led the children to evacuate, like in the drill. It became
clear that, having held drills regularly, they became used totaking an evacuation measure naturally. Furthermore,because of the tremor size that they’d never experienced
before, they sensed danger. As a result, even before theearthquake stopped, child caregivers changed children’s
clothes and let them go outside so that they could
immediately evacuate. These nursery school staff madedecisions suited to their situation.

For those nursery schools that had to climb the mountain toevacuate, school staff pushed children from behind up tosafer, higher grounds. Passing through the mountain paths
or places full of debris on the way to the shelters, they held
the children’s hands and constantly checked their safety inorder to continue the evacuation.

10%
6%

Tissues
Masking tape

50%

13%

Baby milk

Ropes

61%

25%

Emergency
drinking water

60%

33%

15%

Diapers

Tents

69%

38%

Blankets(for cold weather)

Extra clothes(incl. underwear)

50%

20%
20%

Hard hats

At the same time, nursery schools also assisted thecommunities at shelters. If their school buildings were safe,
they contributed the items and food from their schools to theshelters. Some child caregivers helped other evacuees orassisted in the makeshift kitchens. Furthermore, if gas at theschool was usable, the municipality’s disaster response teamrequested the nursery school to open their kitchens to cook
for the evacuees.

50%

33%

Generator

At shelters, nursery schools were given generous treatments
and considerations, because they had small children. They
were assigned to the rooms first, and provided with additional
jackets and food. If any medical doctors and nurses were
present, they frequently checked on children’s conditions.
With these thoughtful actions by the community members,
nursery school staff could take refuge with children in peace.

■Other areas

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

At shelters, nursery school staff continued talking to thechildren and maintaining physical contact to keep thechildren feeling safe. Because the aftershocks continued,
they took rest while wearing shoes, and guarded thecandles and oil heaters. Some spent the night without
sleeping, by carrying small children on their backs in orderto let them sleep.

Some school staff helped out the makeshift kitchens andother evacuees at shelters. School nurses gave their hands
to those in needs of medical attention. Male child caregivers
took the roles of night guards at the shelters. In addition,
many staff of the public nursery schools began their publicduties from the night of the disaster, working at the disaster
response headquarters. This caused a great difficulty for
those staff to confirm the children’s safety after they left
schools with their parents.

Contacting Parents and Handing overChildren to their Families
Emergency Contact : Contacting children’s parents in thecase of an emergency is an important matter to safely returnchildren to their parents. However, immediately after theearthquake, there were power failures in many areas. The
survey showed that there were a very few nursery schoolsthat actually contacted children’s parents when the tremor
stopped. In the tsunami-affected areas, only 8% of thenursery schools contacted parents, and in other areas, itremained at 31% (Chart 10).

Handing over Children to Parents : As mentioned earlier, atevery nursery school, children’s parents started arriving
immediately after the earthquake occurred. Each classteacher confirmed every child being handed over to his/herparent(s).

Part2 Conditions at vacuation Areas

Among the nursery school staff, some lived in the areas
severely affected by the tsunami and could not verify out
their family’s safety, or some had small children and elderlyfamily members to look after. Therefore, some schools let
their staffs go home in turn, or, after all children werereturned to their parents, some schools broke up the groupto let each staff check on their families and homes. Thatsaid, these nursery school staff had to walk or get a ride on
the back of a truck to reach their homes. Sometimes they
had to pass through the devastated areas and checked thesafety on the road constantly.

As emergency communication tools, some nursery schools
not only used mobile phone numbers, but also utilized theemergency/disaster contact services, using mobile e-mailand text messaging systems. In case of evacuating outside of
the school premises, some nursery schools used signs thatindicated the evacuation locations and hung them at
entrance door or gate. When moving to another evacuation
location, they put up posters or left messages so that thoseparents who arrived later would know where their children
had evacuated.

The survey also showed that the majority of nursery schools
in Iwate returned children to their parents (or guardians) at
school. However, in the tsunami-affected coastal areas, 22%of the nursery schools handed over children on theirevacuation routes, and 55% at their evacuation locations(Chart 11). Furthermore, because 15% of the nurseryschools in the affected areas did not answer as “Handed
over children at school”, this might indicate that someschools had begun their evacuation even before children’s
parents arrived at school.

Chart 11 : Where did you hand over the children to
their parents? (Multiple selections permitted)
100%

93%
85%

80

Chart 10 : When the tremor stopped, did you
contact parents?

60

55%

100%

40

80

22%
60

20

40

31%

0

12%
1%
Tsunami-affected areas

Other areas■At nursery school ■On the evacuation route ■At evacuation location

20
8%
0

Tsunami-affected areas

Other areas

Nonetheless, it seemed that most nursery schools had thefollowing generally accepted ideas: "Parents would come
immediately when it’s an emergency, without getting in touch withthem”, or “In our emergency response manual, it has been
agreed that parents would come for their children in an
emergency.” Furthermore, the study indicated that, in the coastal
areas that were close to the epicenter, there was no time forsome nursery schools to make emergency contacts withparents, because of the prioritization of the children’s evacuation.

Looking at the numbers of children that were handed over totheir parents, the ratios of the children that were handed
over at school were much higher than any other numbers.
However, in the tsunami-affected areas, the combined ratioof the children that were returned to their parents on theroutes or at evacuation locations is a combined 33%, whichindicates that at least one third of the children took theevacuation measure outside of the school compounds under
the guidance of the child caregivers (Chart 12).

17

Chart 12 : % of the numbers of children that nurseryschools handed over to their parents by location
2%

100%

1%
3%

80

Chart 13 : When did you hand over the last childto his/her parents?
08%Affected
areas

30%

■At nursery school■At evacuation
location

91%

80

100%
4%

38%

7%

23%

16%

11%
3%

90%

7%

■Next day■Day after next day ■Others ■No answer(03/12/2011)(03/13/2011)■Others0
Tsunami-affected
areas

60

■During the business hours on ■During the same daythat day (e.g., by 7:00pm)(before midnight)■On the evacuation
route

65%

20

40

Other
areas

60

40

20

Other areas

Looking at when each school handed over the last child tohis/her parent, it was found out that all nursery schools in theinland areas returned all children to their parents on the dayof the disaster. However, in the tsunami-affected coastal
areas, only 45% of the nursery schools could manage to do
the same. As a result, other school staff stayed with theremaining children at evacuation shelters for nights anddays (Chart 13). In terms of the school numbers, there were
17 nursery schools that handed over the last child to his/herparent next day (3/12); 12 on 3/13; 6 on 3/14; 1 each on
03/16 and 3/18 (Table 3).

The scale of the disaster was enormous, and there waslimited information available. Many parents did not knowwhether the nursery schools had been safe or not, or wherechildren had been evacuated. Some nursery school staff
had to visit different shelters to look for the parents who had
not yet come for their children. Since transportation systems
were also suspended, some parents did not have means toreach their children, or some had to cross over the mountainto reach shelters. Parents themselves also experienced thedisaster at work and other places. Some had to work on thedisaster response duties. Some parents faced the difficulties
to immediately pick up their children from school.

Table 3. Dates that the last child was handed over to his/her parents in the tsunami-affected areas

Tsunamiaffected
areas

18

No. of nurseryschools (N)Ratio (%)

During thebusiness hours
on the day ofthe disaster

Before themidnight on
the day of thedisaster

Next day(3/12)

Day after
next day(3/13)

3/14

3/16

3/18

28

5

17

12

6

1

8

3

38%

7%

23%

16%

8%

1%

11%

4%

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

OthersNo
answerVoiceHow were children handed over to parents?

Part2 Conditions at vacuation Areas· Since we had done the drill once a year on handing overchildren to their parents, parents started arriving relatively
early to pick up children, so not many of them remained.
· Because of the disaster response manual that had been
disseminated beforehand, parents came to pick up theirchildren.
· There were a parent and a child who left once but returnedto the school because they thought that it was dangerous.
· Some families evacuated together with the school.
· Since we were under the major tsunami warning, we did not
let the families to go home until the warning was cancelled
and the safety was confirmed.
· Although we told them to stay with us, some families left forhome.
· We told the families to take a high ground path, evacuate
when an aftershock occured, avoid traffic accidents, and be
cautious of falling objects so that they could get home safely.
· Although a neighbor of the child’s family offered to take thatchild with her, we declined (because, in fact, she was not
asked by the family, despite her kindness, and because wewould not be able to confirm their safety afterwards).
· We used the emergency contact registry to confirm the safe
return of all the children to their parents.
· Even among the family members, they were unable tocontact each other. So, one parent who arrived later did notknow who picked up his/her child (e.g., another parent orfamily member?), and did not know where they had gone.
· We returned each child to his/her parents after checking
where they were going/evacuating, which routes they weretaking and the safety of their families and homes.
· Some parents crossed over the mountain, walked a long
distance, or hitchhiked to reach their children.
· Some parents could not pick up their children for a few days,
because they were directly affected by the disaster at work,
involved in the disaster response work (e.g., public office
staff, medical staff, disaster response team), or did not havetransportation means.
· Our staff brought children to their parents on foot.

19

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Part

3

Recovery and Reopening
Nursery Schools©JCU/K.Goto

In the tsunami-affected coastal municipalities, it took a long time
for nursery schools to complete the confirmation of the safety of
all children and personnel. The transportation systems werecompletely destroyed, many nursery school staffs’ personalvehicles were destroyed by the tsunami, and fuel scarcity
occurred following the crisis. Due to this environment, the schoolstaff had to spend days and weeks visiting children’s houses,
evacuation shelters, government offices, and disaster response
headquarters by foot or by hitchhiking with different cars.
The lifeline damage varied by area. However, the power failureand fuel scarcity occurred not only in the coastal areas but also
throughout Iwate and severely affected many nursery schools in
the efforts to resume their childcare services.

August 2011. Eating utensils were not prepared atthat time. ©JCU/K.ShindoSome schools were unable to provide lunch and had to ask the families to prepare lunch boxes for theirchildren. Others could not use electricity and heaters at school, so they had to shorten their service hours.
Furthermore, because the fuel scarcity affected the ability for school staff to commute, some schools could
only offer services upon special request. It was clear that both nursery schools and parents were required
to act within the new circumstances.

Safety Confirmation of Children and
School Staff
The survey asked all nursery schools in Iwate when theirschool completed the safety confirmation of all children andschool staff including those who were absent or left early on
the day of the disaster. In the inland areas that were notdirectly affected by the tsunami, 87% of the nursery schools
completed the safety confirmation by March 13th and most
schools completed between 3/14-3/16 after the following
weekend (Chart 14). Because the impact of the disaster
varied by area, some nursery schools responded as “we did
not think that the safety confirmation was particularly needed.”

Chart 14 : When did you complete confirming the safetyof all children and staff (including those absent on that day)?
100%

7%

9%
5%

80
45%

20

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

16%■No answer■Others

60

40■Day after next day(3/13/11)■Next day (3/12/11)

10%
14%

On the contrary, in the tsunami-affected coastal areas, many
nursery schools carried out the safety confirmation after they
had returned children to their parents. The schools also
contacted the evacuation centers where the families had taken
refuge. The survey showed that it took a few days to a few
weeks for most schools to complete the safety confirmation ofchildren. Some even said, “We do not remember clearly (when4%■Same day

66%

20
25%
0

Tsunami-affected
areas

Other areas

The percentages
are rounded off, so
the total will not be
100%.

40

60

1%

85%

Other areas

1%

97%

Tsunami-affected
areas

5%

82%

Other areas

9%

Water supply

Other areas

Tsunami-affected
areas

Other areas

21%

33%

Electricity

8%

80

100%

42%

7%

50%

30% 5%

5%

73%

50%

25% 5%

8%

Landline
phone

Tsunami-affected
13% 10%areas
Other areas

7%

Tsunami-affected
7% 7% 11% 7%
areas
Other areas

68%

16%

0%
24%

Other areas

0%
14%

46%

19%

0%
Tsunami-affected
9% 16%
areas

14%

21%

59%

29%

14%

33%

0%

Tsunami-affected
5% 14% 19%
areas
Other areas

10% 15%Tsunami-affected
14% 7%
areas
Other areas

62%

25%

10%

40%

0%
21%

26%

57%
32%

21%

11% 11%The percentages are rounded off, so the total will not be 100%.

Resuming Childcare Services(or Re-opening Nursery Schools)
In the inland areas, most nursery schools managed to resume
their childcare services on 3/14 or 3/15, after the immediate
following weekend. In contrast, in the coastal municipalties,
only 34 of the 73 nursery schools, less than 50%, re-opened
their schools by 3/15 (Chart 17). Due to the damages to the

19% 8%
44%

74%
48%

11%
16%

73%

Other areas
Tsunami-affected
areas

3%

62%

Other areas

Other areas

60■3/12 ■3/13 ■3/14 ■3/15 ■Others
12%

55%

22%

100%

27%

2%

66%
34%

80

14%

88%

Tsunami-affected 14%
areas

Tsunami-affected
areas

Gas

20

Tsunami-affected
areas

Sewage water(toilet)Cellularphone

Landline
phoneElectricity

040Part3 Recovery and Reopening Nursery Schools

Chart 15 : Conditions of the school facilities
after the earthquake

20

Tsunami-affected
4% 20%
areas

0%

Cellularphone

The lifeline services were also affected by the disaster, and its
impact was extensive throughout Iwate. Especially, theelectricity, with a power failure in a large area, and thelandline telephone systems was out of order. The mobile
telephone services in some areas were accessible, but theservices were not functioning in more than a half of both
affected and other areas. Furthermore, the survey also
indicated that, in the tsunami-affected areas, other services,like water supplies, sewage systems and natural gas, wereheavily damaged by the tsunami (Chart 15).

0

Water supply

The Damages and Recovery of Lifeline
Services

Chart 16 : If unusable, when did it come back?

Sewagewater (toilet)

While the communication tools like telephone systems were
not functioning, school staff split up into groups and visitedchildren’s houses, government offices and evacuation
shelters by foot, hitchhiking, or carpooling. They tried to get intouch with the families utilizing posters and bulletin boards
and leaving messages with the shelter staff. Many children
and their families stayed at shelters, and it took aconsiderable time and effort for school personnel to carry out
the safety confirmation of all children and their families undersuch difficult circumstances.

How long did it take to recover these lifeline services after thedisaster? Chart 16 shows that it took an extended time torecover the lifeline services in the tsunami-affected areas,indicating that the damages were severe. At the same time, it
seemed that, in other areas, it had been difficult to realize same
day repair and recovery of the electricity and landline telephoneservices. This shows that there was an impact on resumingchildcare services even in the non-affected areas (Chart 16).

Gas

we completed) due to the post-disaster confusion.”, however,most of the nursery schools had completed the safety
confirmation between one to three weeks.

23%

Chart 17 : When did you reopen your nursery school?
0

17% 9%
32%

72%

21%
13% 16%

Tsunamiaffected 11%
areas

20

40

60

80

27%

8%

49%
5%

1%
Other
areas

100%

4%

39%

6%

36%

12%

■Others■No answer■Usable ■Unusable ■No answer

The percentages are rounded off, so the total will not be 100%.

■3/12

■3/13

■3/14

■3/15

The percentages are rounded off, so the total will not be 100%.

21

The tsunami-affected kitchen in a nursery school
Photo provided by a nursery school in Rikuzentakata city

nursery schools themselves, to the communities, or to the
local government systems, more than a half of the nurseryschools resumed after 3/22, and most did so between the last
week of March and the first half of April. It was early June
when the last nursery schools finally resumed.

The school staff taking away the mud and rubbles
Photo provided by the nursery school in Rikuzentakata city.

Chart 18 : Under what condition did you reopen your school?
0

20

Total

Despite resuming the childcare services, less than a half ofthe nursery schools throughout Iwate could start as wholeday services, which included lunch (Chart 18). Even if
re-opened for the whole day, some schools could notprovide lunch and had to request the families to prepare
lunch boxes for their children. Or many others started theirservices only for the mornings, shortening the service hours,
or only accepting children upon special request. Thesesituations were due to power failure, difficulties in procuring
food items, or a fuel scarcity that affected the school staff’s
commute. These impacted many nursery schools throughout
Iwate Prefecture, and both schools and families wererequired to be flexible with the circumstances.

40

60

10%

Tsunamiaffected areas

47%

80

100%

10%
30%

3%

3%
34%

26%

22%

4%
Other areas

52%

8%

22

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate■Half-day care(no lunch)■No answer

In the coastal areas, only one third of the nursery schools
managed to resume whole-day services, including lunch. The
nursery schools that were damaged by the tsunami had touse rooms in kindergartens, elementary schools, municipalityown buildings, or even private houses. Despite the efforts toresume services, it was difficult to procure food items, orthere were no sufficient kitchen systems available to cook forgroups of small children. As a result, some nursery schools
had to require children to bring their own lunch, such as riceballs or bread, in the meantime.

Borrowed a classroom and reopened the nursery school©JCU
The tsunami-affected nursery school restarted child care at aborrowed space. They used cardboard box as a chair.
©JCU

3%

33%

■Full-time care
■Full-time care(incl. school lunch) (no lunch/bring own lunch)■Others (upon request, etc)

15%

In those coastal municipalities, many of the school staff
themselves were victims of the disaster, losing family
members or relatives, their houses or other belongings. The
study showed that even under such difficult circumstances,
they worked hard to re-open their nursery schools as soon as
possible. Some staff faced difficulties to commute, and they
worked in turn to clean the classrooms that suffered flood
damages, start temporary childcare services, and organize
graduate ceremonies for the senior grade children at theevacuation shelters.

The child caregivers and the volunteers moving things into the temporary
childcare center©JCU/K.Goto

Children helping to make a deck in the temporary childcare center©JCU

Part3 Recovery and Reopening Nursery Schools

Voice

The Conditions at the Time of School
Re-opening· Even though the staff resumed the childcare service, no
children came.
· We requested the families to cooperate in looking after
their children at home, for those who could not do socame and brought their own lunches.
· Because the electricity was not repaired and it wasdifficult to procure kerosene oil for heating, we concluded
the services around 16:00~17:00, closing before sunset.
· Because there was no water supply and it was notpossible to secure food items, children brought their own
lunches and we only provided soups and fruits.
· Even though we could not procure kerosene or food, weprioritized accepting those children of parents who
worked in the disaster recovery.
· Due to the fuel scarcity that affected the staff’s commute,and because of the blackouts, we only accepted children
whose parents were unable to take leave from work, andit was only during the day.
· Since there was no water supply or electricity, we kept
jackets on while caring for the children.

Making school lunch at the kitchen in a temple where the staff hadborrowed23

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Part

4

Issues for Future Disaster
Prevention Measures~Looking back on the experiences of the Disaster~

Photo provided by a nursery school in Otsuchi city.

“Children did not cry or scream, stayed calm, andfollowed child caregivers’ guidance like a regulardrill.” The study showed that nursery schools in
Iwate were able to carry out the emergency
evacuation as done in training. This was becauset h ey h a d r e p e a t e d l y i m p l e m e n t e d r e g u l a r
evacuation drills, disaster prevention educationand other programs. In addition, many nurseryschools realized the importance of laying out
certain rules like having a disaster responsemanual in place. Furthermore, because they had
to respond to unexpected situations in thisdisaster, it became an important issue for nurseryschools to prepare the disaster risk reduction(DRR) measures based on many different
assumptions more than ever before.
School staff taking refuge at the school yard, making the children’s safety

In order to ensure the children’s safety in an
the first priority
Photo provided by a nursery school in Yamada city.
emergency, this sur vey found that it seems
necessary for nursery schools to establish theunderstanding and collaboration from parents and the cooperation mechanisms with the communities inregards to schools’ DRR measures. After the disaster, some schools discussed with parents the schools’
DRR measures, to share the sense of disaster prevention, and reaffirm that everyone (both nurseryschools and parents) would act safely in an emergency. Other nursery schools that experienced “being
supported by the whole community” at during the evacuation, led to the realization of the importance of
establishing close connections and relations in the neighborhoods during normal times.
Most school staff were aware of the disaster prevention through evacuation trainings prior to the disaster.
Especially in the coastal areas, many nursery schools had a high awareness of risks regarding a tsunami.
In fact, on the day of the disaster, most staff followed through, prioritizing “children’s safety”. At the sametime, it was evident from their responses that many had feelings of fear, expressed in the following
comment: “Could we have evacuated all children by ourselves, if their parents had not come?”
This study showed that the experiences of the disaster have become an opportunity for all of us to (re-)
consider various problems and issues regarding DRR measures at nursery schools or other childcare/child welfare institutions. It is also evident that these nursery schools need support not only from parents
and communities, but also from local governments and other government bodies. From this point forward,
the following should be considered in order to continue ensuring the children’s safety in an emergency: 1)
what nursery schools can do on their own; 2) what parents can collaborate on; 3) what the communities
can cooperate with; and 4) what roles and support the local governments and other government agencies
can provide. By centralizing the issues of children’s safety and security, it is necessary to build andstrengthen the various cooperation and collaboration mechanisms and relations in a comprehensive way.

24

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Crisis Management andDisaster Response Manual
The survey showed that 71% of the nursery schools had a
DRR manual based on the assumption of an earthquake (andtsunami) prior to the 2011 disaster (Chart 19). In fact, about
90% had taken various DRR measures such as the manual(e.g., roll calls, evacuation guidance and instructions, safety
checks on the buildings and fire). However, many noted that“the scale of the disaster was ‘more than any assumption wehad’, and things ‘beyond what we had expected’ happened.”
Some nursery schools in the coastal municipalities evacuatedfurther than what had been outlined in the manual, and others
could not take the evacuation measures as arranged
beforehand.

Chart 19 : Did your school have a disaster prevention
manual for an earthquake (and tsunami)?

NO
29%
YES
71%

The following comments highlighted what had happened
beyond their expectations in the disaster:

Even prior to the disaster, many nursery schools had
conducted safety checks of the facilities and environment as
part of their disaster prevention measures. The survey
showed the following: 96% conducted the safety checks on
the emergency exits and evacuation routes; 85% identified
the safe area(s) outside (such as playground); 64% installed
anti-tipping measures for large furniture and equipment; 61%
installed anti-shatter measures for window glass. 66%
installed safety measure for light fixtures; 75% checked thelocation and safety of electric and gas appliances. In allelements, about two thirds or more of the nursery schools in
Iwate had taken these measures.
“When the earthquake occurred, we thought that our buildings
would collapse.” Many nursery schools which had built theirschool facilities in recent years were aware that the schoolbuildings were built based on the earthquake resistant
standards. However, only one forth of the nursery schools hadreceived an earthquake resistant test for their school buildings(Chart 20). In general, there were not many nursery schoolsthat had received a special certification for their schoolbuildings through an “earthquake resistant test” per se.

Chart 20 : Did you have school buildings assessed/
approved for earthquake resistance?

YES
25%

NO
75%

Issues for Future Disaster Prevention Measures

Some school staff said, “In the actual disaster, we could not
do as outlined in the manual.” However, it was also
recognized that, because of a manual or certain rules were inplace, school staff could quickly decide on actions to take inthe emergency, avoid confusion, and act speedily and safely.
Furthermore, it was requested that the local governments andother government related agencies to provide DRR manuals
and guidelines, which nursery schools could use as the basis
for their emergency measures and responses.

Safety Measures at
School Facilities

Part4• “The tsunami reached places higher than ‘tsunami flood zones’.”• “Fires occurred after the earthquake and tsunami.”• “We had to evacuate beyond the fixed evacuation area.”• “We could not access disaster information.”• “We could not use any communication tools.”• “The parents could not pick up their children.”• “We did not think that we would not be able to return to ourschool.”The study highlighted that it is imperative to pursue both
“repeating the emergency response training based on the
manual” and “recognizing the possibility that a disaster could
occur beyond one’s assumption”. It also showed theimportance of having the judgment in order to respondflexibly to any disaster or crisis situation.

Evacuation Drill and Disaster
Prevention Education
As indicated in the “Standards regarding the Facilities andManagement of a Child Welfare Institution” 6, prior to thedisaster, almost all nursery schools conducted an evacuation

6）Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry, “Standards regarding the Facilities and Management of a Child Welfare Institution”
Article 6  In child welfare institutions, a fire extinguisher, an emergency exit or any other facilities that are necessary for an emergency should be set up. At the same time, a specificaction plan for an emergency disaster should be prepared and the institutions should be aware of the disaster and implement drills.      
2   As for the drills mentioned above, drills on evacuation and fire extinction should be done at least once a month.

25

drill at least once a month, and 14% were doing the drill morethan once a month (Chart 21).

Chart 22 : Did you carry out a drill without notice(or by surprise)?

Voice

Results of Training“My friend who worked at a school meal center told me,‘It was such a huge earthquake, but the children at thenursery school didn’t cry, did they? It must have been
due to the drills as to why they followed the teachers’
i n s t r u c t i o n s a n d e v a c u a t e d s a f e l y. ’ E v e n c h i l dcaregivers, who were adults, could have been shaken
up by the earthquake, but we realized that children had
mastered the drill.” (From Ofunato city)

Chart 21 : How often did you conduct an evacuation
drill with children/staff?
0%

1%

14%

84%

■Less than once per month ■Once per month■More than once per month ■Have not implemented

The percentages are rounded off, so the total will not be 100%.

Nursery schools conducted the drills at different times of theday (e.g., arrival/departure time, group activity, free activity,
napping, lunch and snack, etc). They set up different
situations like fire, earthquake or break-in/intruder. In the
coastal areas, the nursery schools located near the shore
frequently carried out the drill based on the assumption thata tsunami would follow an earthquake. However, some otherschools recalled, “Since our nursery school was located onhigh ground, we never expected a tsunami, and had notconducted the drill to evacuate outside the school premises.
In reality, the children and the staff of this nursery school had
to evacuate outside the school premises during the disaster.
More than a half of the nursery schools in Iwate carried out
the drills without notifying their personnel (Chart 22). “Schoolstaff felt a sense of crisis that we would never know when adisaster could strike.” “Implemented a drill by surprise, wewould know what specific assistance the class of 0-1 year oldchildren would need, and it was a good opportunity for us torevise the measures.” By carrying out the drills as similar to
the actual situation as possible, nursery school staff checked
what they could or could not do in an emergency.

26

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

NO
43%

YES
57%

In the survey, some nursery school personnel stated, “Itrequires time and labor to guide children to safely evacuate.”
At the same time, others said, “Our bodies moved
spontaneously, because it looked like we had mastered ourmonthly drill.” These accounts showed that many school staff
worked hard and took the drills seriously.
The following remarks highlights that these nursery school
personnel had mastered the actions to be taken in an
emergency, by accumulating the various efforts andpractices:• “We thought about and repeated the drill until we were surethat ‘if we reached there, we would be safe and secure.’”• “Young child caregivers learned from their senior colleagues,
and there was a strong awareness shared among theschool staff in regards to the emergency evacuation
measures.”• “The drill that we have maintained, things that we took overfrom the previous practices and what we have beenpracticing and studying on our own, all worked in the actual
situation.”
Evacuation Areas and Routes : The survey showed that 83%
of the nursery schools in Iwate had identified and checked theevacuation area(s) and route(s) prior to the disaster. Many had
chosen the playground as the first evacuation area totemporarily take refuge within the school premises. They had
also identified secondary evacuation areas outside thepremises, assuming the alternative evacuation necessary inan emergency. In fact, in the disaster, many carried out thesecondary evacuation outside the school grounds, and somecontinued on to third and fourth evacuation routes, and finallyreached the evacuation shelters where they could spend thenight safely with the children.
In regards to evacuation routes, some schools checked theroutes by walking with the children. They consideredchildren’s physical abilities and viewpoints to choose thesafest and quickest routes for evacuation. Every year, someschools revised or updated the evacuation routes anddistances based on children’s ages and growth. They
reviewed the surrounding environments and road conditions

to the 2011 disaster. However, the materials related totsunami were only used by 23% in the coastal area and 37%
in the north.
Some nursery schools organized a joint drill with firemen
participation, or arranged some learning activities for children
with the fire department or police. Some also carried out field
trips for children to visit the fire department or disasterprevention center. And many schools had incorporated theactivities in which children could feel more familiar withdisaster prevention.
Daily evacuation drill
Photo provided by a nursery school in Otsuchi city.

(e.g., traffic, cracks in the road, footpaths, streams, frozen
ground during the winter, etc). When passing through private
property, schools asked the owner for permission in advance.
Some nursery schools encouraged parents to check theevacuation areas and routes. Others identified several
options for evacuation routes.
Some issues, however, were raised for the local governments
and entire communities to consider in the future, based on the
problems that nursery schools faced during the evacuation.
At the evacuation, some schools had to climb steep mountainslopes where there were no paths or steps, pushing children
up from behind. Or they had to pass through areas where
people usually do not pass, and had to climb over fences inorder to reach higher ground. At the evacuation shelters, there
were not enough extra warm clothes, blankets, or emergency
food provisions stocked or ready for large groups ofevacuees. Many shelters did not have any toilet facilities thatyoung children could easily use. Looking back at theexperiences during the disaster, it seemed that many nurseryschool staff are hoping the local communities will better equip
the evacuation routes, areas and shelters where smallchildren could safely take refuge.

In the nursery schools where young children were looked
after, it had been an accepted norm that parents would
immediately pick up their children from schools in case of an
emergency.
During the disaster, there were many nursery schools whereparents came to pick up their children immediately after theearthquake. However, in Iwate, while a few children became
victims after their parents had picked them up, there wasneither casualty inside the school premises nor any accidents
involving the children during the evacuation. Because of
these outcomes, many nursery schools are currently
re-considering how they should contact, cooperate with andassist parents in an emergency situation.
Information on School’s Emergency Response Measures for
Parents : The survey indicated that it is common for nurseryschools to inform parents about their disaster prevention or
response measures verbally or by writing (Chart 23). In thecase of writing, some handed out an entrance guide, which
described a list of annual activities including a plan for themonthly drills. Some put a short article about the drill in theirmonthly newsletter. Some disseminated the school’s disaster
response manual or booklet. Schools used different forms of
written materials.
In the case of verbal communication, some school personnel
had been informing parents about their plans for drill activities

Part4

Disaster-Prevention Education : In addition to drills, many
nursery schools had incorporated disaster-prevention
education in the children’s activities. The survey showed that87% of the nursery schools were using children’s books,
picture-story shows, and videos/films about earthquakes prior

Collaboration with Parents

Issues for Future Disaster Prevention Measures

SPECIAL STORYMonthly Evacuation Drill for Tsunami
At one nursery school in the coastal region, since it was
located near the seawall, school staff had the strong belief thatan ‘earthquake = tsunami’. For a long time, they have carriedout a drill based on the assumption of a tsunami. In addition to
the regular monthly drill for fires or break-in/intruders, they had
conducted an additional drill specifically for a tsunami every
month. They called this day the “Day of Safety”. During the“Day of Safety” drill, children would evacuate outside of thecompound. Following the teachers’ guidance, the children
would practice running to the evacuation area.
On the “Day of Safety,” everyone would gather in theplayground, then a teacher would announce “It's a tsunami!
Let’s get out of here!” and everyone would start running to theevacuation area. Even the smaller children participated withthe goal of the drill being “to run on their own legs.” The drill
was timed, and teachers observed how much the children had
gotten stronger each time. School staff helped the children
lead the way by cheering, “Don’t cry, let’s keep it up!”Those children who were too small to walk were put in theevacuation trolleys, and school staff pushed them and checked
how many children they could put in each trolley. Whencrossing the road, one staff would stop the traffic, and let thechildren’s group pass. Sometimes they asked local residents
to help them implement the drill.
Children were used to the word “tsunami.” When hearing“Today is the ‘Day of Safety’,” they would know “Oh, today isthe day that we practice escaping from the tsunami.”Children’s responses to the tsunami drill were good.  (Miyako)

27

Chart 23 : How did you inform parents about DRR
measures of your school?
(Multiple selections permitted)

50%
43%

43%

40

30

20

10
3%
0

Held workshops

By writing

Verballywhen they came to drop off or pick up their children. Some
held a parental meeting to discuss the school’s disaster
response plans.
On the other hand, some reflected, “We might not haveinformed parents enough.” After the disaster, it was noted asa critical element to ensure the thorough explanation toparents of the school’s disaster prevention measures.
Parents’ Participation in the Drill : In order to encourage
parents to understand and support the school’s disaster
response measures, nursery schools allowed parents toparticipate in their evacuation drill. However, the survey
showed that only 16% of the nursery schools in Iwate had
carried out the joint drill with parents prior to the disaster,while the highest rate was 25% in the coastal area (Chart 24).
Even at the nursery schools that had carried it out, theparticipation was limited, as shown in the following remarks:

Chart 24 : Did you carry out a drill with parents?
25%

25%

20

18%

• “Using the time of drop-off or pick-up, we asked parents toassist in our drill.”• “Only with those parents who could participate, we
implemented a drill in which parents would come to theevacuation area to pick up their children.”• “Sometimes we asked children’s grandparents to help out
with the drill.”
Since most parents work during the day, it seems difficult for
the nursery schools to have every parent participate in the
drill. However, some parents who bring their children toschool from long distances would not be familiar with theschool’s surroundings. Some schools provided parents with amap to show the evacuation areas and routes. Other schools
invited parents during the weekend to take a tour in order toget familiar with the surroundings where the school would
evacuate. Many nursery schools seemed to be making efforts
for parents to gain a better understanding of the school’s
disaster prevention measures and plans.
Handing over Children to Parents : “In an emergency, it had
been arranged for parents to pick up their children
immediately. So, (at the disaster,) we were relieved when we
handed the children over to their parents.” As highlighted inthis comment, for parents, it was a norm to pick up children
immediately in an emergency, and, for nursery schools, it was
natural to hand over the children to their parents. However,even though their children were all safe after handing themover them to parents immediately following the earthquake,some nursery schools reflected: “We should not have handed
over the children,” or “We should have told parents ‘Let’s
evacuate together’, or ‘Please escape towards the mountain.’”Because of these experiences, many nursery schools in the
coastal area are now revising and proposing the procedures
regarding handing over the children to parents in an
emergency as follows:
1)When a disaster (tsunami) advisory or warning is issued,
nursery school will take safety measures including immediateevacuation.
2) Parents should not come for their children by risking theirlives. They should secure their own safety first.
3) Even if they come, schools will not hand over children to
parents immediately. Schools will evacuate and take refuge
together, children with parents until the disaster advisory or
warning is canceled.
4) Only after confirming the safety, schools will let children
and parents go home.

15
12%
10

9%

However, due to the power failure, or because it was in the
middle of evacuation, only 24% in Iwate actually contacted
parents as outlined in the manual. In the tsunami-affected
area, the number remained as low as 11% (Chart 26).

50Emergency Contact with Parents : The survey showed that
68% of the nursery schools in Iwate had systems in place tocontact parents in case of an emergency (e.g., emergency
contact book, others) (Chart 25).

CoastalNorthern

CentralSouthern

Since the communication tools including cell phones became

28

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Chart 25 : Did your school have a system tocontact parents in an emergency?

Parents also lost their means to get in touch with nurseryschools. After the disaster, nursery schools were unable tocontact children’s families for a while, and it took aconsiderable amount of time for them to confirm the safety of
all children and their families. “For future emergencies, we will
ask parents to try to get in touch with schools for safety
confirmation, using any means (such as putting up a posteror leaving a message).” The study indicated that it would be
crucial for both parents and schools to keep mutual contact/communication even under difficult circumstances.

NO
32%
YES
68%

Chart 26 : Were you able to contact with parents
following the manual?
100%

7%

11%

6%

80

60

69%

78%

already picked up his/her child, and both of them had no idea
where each other went. Later, some staff looked back andresponded, “We should not only check the hand over ofchildren to parents, but also ask where they were going orwhether or not their houses were safe.”

Partnerships with the Communities
Implementation of a Joint Drill with Local Residents : The survey
showed that 42% of the nursery schools in Iwate had
established some kind of cooperation mechanisms within thecommunities. However, only 15% of the nursery schools
throughout the prefecture held a joint drill with local residents(Chart 27).

65%

Chart 27 : Did you carry out a drill with local residents?
40%

40

29%

24%
0

21%

20

20

13%

10%

9%

CoastalNorthern

11%
Total

Tsunami-affected
areas

Other areas

0

CentralSouthern■No answer ■Did not ■Did

There were a few cases in which even family members wereunable to get in touch with each other. In one case, one
parent came to the school shortly after the other parent had

Issues for Future Disaster Prevention Measures

As for the post-disaster safety confirmation, some nurseryschools used mobile phone e-mail and text messaging
systems, since the recovery of landline telephone and othercommunication systems were delayed. Some used mass
messaging services to stay in touch with parents during thetime living at centers.

The reasons for this result are the following: 1) many residents
work outside during the day; 2) many of those residents in theschool’s neighborhoods who stay at home during the day are
elderly; or 3) those residents who were active usuallybelonged to the fire brigades, and it would be difficult forthem to assist the nurser y school during an actual
emergency.

Part4

unusable at the disaster, it was necessary to use othermethods to transmit the information besides the telephone.
For example, some nursery schools prepared signs to indicate
the evacuation areas beforehand. When evacuating, they put
them up at the entrance so that parents could follow the signs
to the evacuation areas to pick up their children. Whenschools had to move from one evacuation area to another,
they put up a poster or left a message with the shelter staff sothat even if they arrived late, parents would know where theirchildren were.

Despite the difficulties for schools to have local residents
participate in the drill, the study highlighted that there had
been different forms of community collaborations by nurseryschools such as:• “Local residents formed a ‘watch group’, and helped ourschool during the drill as guards.”• “Our school has participated in the annual disasterprevention training in the community once a year.”• “Members of our parent association participate in the local
female fire brigade club.”• “Our nursery school has carried out joint training on
disaster prevention with the nearby institutions (e.g.,kindergarten, children’s center, elementary/junior high29

schools, community center, and children’s club).”• “We are considering that, by adopting the same drill as theelementary school does, our children may easily masterhow to evacuate as they transition from the nursery toelementary school”
In fact, many nursery schools implemented the evacuation
with other nearby schools, recalling the following accounts:• “Junior high school students led our children by holding
their hands.”• “Local residents assisted our evacuation by holding thehands of the children.”• “Members of the local fire brigade and children’s parents
stopped the traffic to let our school group cross the roadduring the evacuation.”• “Local fire brigade volunteers led us to the evacuation
area.”
It was clear that many nursery school staff recognized theimportance of community cooperation/collaboration from theirown experiences in which they had received much help fromthe community for the safe evacuation of the children.
Disaster Prevention Measures in the Community : During thedisaster, many nursery schools took refuge with children forlong hours and stayed at shelters with many other evacuees. It
was important for nurser y schools to have preparedemergency carry-out items on their own. At the same time,they gained the cooperation from the local residents; they
helped evacuating, secured the evacuation spaces, providing
warm clothes, blankets, food and drinking water, etc.
Based on their experiences during the evacuation, many
nursery schools suggested that “shelter locations in thecommunities must keep certain stocks of emergency provisions”
or “the buildings assigned to be shelters should be equippedwith toilet facilities for children.” It had become an opportunity fornursery schools to reassess the important issues in regards tothe stockpile of emergency provisions and equipping shelterswith community disaster prevention measures.
Cooperation with Disaster Prevention Related Parties : Many
nursery schools carried out joint fire or evacuation drills withstaff from the fire department once or twice a year. They also
held a workshop on disaster prevention, conducted training
on how to make an emergency call, or participated in the local
disaster prevention group. Many maintained the cooperative
relations with disaster prevention related personnel.
Particularly, it had been crucial for those school staff who felt
uneasy about disaster prevention to have an opportunity to
ask questions or discuss the subject with a firefighter or otherstaff from the disaster prevention related departments. During
this disaster, the pubic official who was assigned to assist thenursery school in an emergency actually joined andsupported the school during the evacuation. Many nurseryschools realized that it was important to strengthen theircooperation with disaster prevention related parties,municipalities, and community social workers to support theirdisaster prevention efforts.

30

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

Disaster Awareness and Emergency
Arrangement among School Staff
Awareness toward Disaster Prevention in Nursery Schools :Depending on their location, some nursery schools do not
face the risk of a tsunami. However, the survey showed thatprior to the disaster, 52% of the nursery schools in Iwate hadrecognized the risks of earthquake and/or tsunami and taken
measures to prepare for such calamities (e.g., checking theearthquake resistance of the school buildings and the safetyof the school environments). In the coastal area, the number
was as high as 63% (Chart 28).

Chart 28 : Did your nursery school have measuresagainst earthquake and tsunami risks?
100%

80

63%
60
51%

49%

49%

CentralSouthern

40

20

0

CoastalNorthern

The survey showed that 54% of the nursery schools in Iwate
had opportunities to receive training and workshops on
disaster prevention for their school staff. Central Iwate was
the highest at 72% (Chart 29). While not in the form of formal“training” or “workshop”, keeping the cooperative relations
with and receiving lectures from officials working in thedisaster prevention areas can help nursery school staff
deepen their understanding of and reduce their anxieties
toward disaster prevention.
Some nursery schools had a strong awareness of disasterprevention among their staff even prior to this disaster. Others
had never expected to face such a large-scale calamity. This
study proved that the level of disaster awareness among thestaff varied by school. In order not to forget about the disaster
experience, many nursery schools have begun taking further
disaster prevention measures. Some have been actively
involved in local disaster prevention action groups in theircommunities. As governments’ reconstruction plans had beendeveloped, it has been an opportunity for many nurseryschools to reevaluate their own future disaster response plans.

trolleys?” “Which staff will carry which baby on her/his back?”
They repeated the drill and reviewed and discussed theelements to improve. Many groups of school personnel
established a working environment where everyone could
share their opinion, and built the trust among each other. They
understood that this led to the stronger teamwork during an
actual event.

Chart 29 : DRR training for staff members
100%

80
72%

60
46%

49%

45%

40

20

0

CoastalNorthern

CentralSouthern

Additional related comments/responses received include:• “Although our staff was anxious, they were desperate tosave the children’s lives.”• “The most important thing was the children’s lives. We
could manage without bankbooks or official seals.”• “It is important for each staff to have the ability to stay
calm, make decisions, and take action quickly during an
emergency.”• “If the school staff behave calmly, the negative effect on thechildren would be minimal.”• “In order to save our children’s lives, adults must live.”• “Because they have responsibility of their job, school
personnel should avoid taking any risks.”

Each child at a nursery school has different abilities by age.
Children who are age three or above, can evacuate in agroup, with child caregiver’s guidance. For the infants andthose younger than three years of age, it would be impossible
to evacuate on their own, and they require some assistance,
utilizing the evacuation trolleys or walking ropes. During theevacuation in the disaster, children had to not only run on theflat road but also climb up the slopes and mountains.
Furthermore, some staff said, “It is necessary to prepare
ourselves for an evacuation in the early morning or theevening, or on Saturdays when there are few staff around.”T hi s s h o w s t h a t m a n y n ur s e r y s c h o o l s h a v e b e e nreconsidering their disaster prevention and evacuation
measures, keeping all sorts of situation in mind.
Post-Disaster Psychosocial Care for Nursery School Personnel :This study showed that even after the disaster, there havebeen many school staff who have continued asking
themselves “Wouldn’t it be better if we had done …” or “Weshould have done …” countless times. Some expressed,“There were no opportunities where we could share ourexperiences or feelings with those who went through thesimilar situations.” Many child caregivers and school
administrators were looking for the opportunities or occasions
where they could share their experiences or consult theirdistresses with specialists, like psycho-therapists. Throughthe survey, it became clear that it was important to provide
care and help to those adults who support children.

Part4
Issues for Future Disaster Prevention Measures

These comments highlighted that school personnel
recognized the importance of taking the safest actions forchildren. At the same time, these indicated that the relations
between children and adults were significant because adults
could protect children. Thus, in order to keep children safe, it
is important for child caregivers and other school personnel
to stay safe themselves.

For the safe evacuation of children in an emergency, thus,
many realized that the cooperation inside the school was
crucial. There were some staff who felt uneasy and thought,“Would it have been possible for us evacuate only byourselves if all the children had stayed with us at the school?”when looking back at the disaster.

Roles of School Staff and Organizational Structures for Disaster
Prevention : The study found that in many nursery schools,
each staff was assigned beforehand a specific role in case ofan emergency. For example, those at management level(e.g., director and chief child caregiver) were in charge ofproviding evacuation instructions, collecting information,
conducting safety checks. Child caregivers who are in
charge of each class would focus on leading the evacuationof their children. The infant class would require additional
assistance from other school staff (e.g., school meal staff,
childcare support center staff).
School staff discussed and coordinated among themselves
the small details of the procedures beforehand. “Who will
carry the emergency bags?” “Who will push the evacuation

Evacuation drill, working together with the company from the evacuation
destination
Photo provided by a nursery school in Otsuchi city.

31

Looking back at the day of the disaster –Listening to the voices of nursery school staff• “Because our nursery school is located by
the sea, all staff are well-aware of thefollowing: earthquake = tsunami.
• “Since lectures on a tsunami had been
increasing these days, we thought that it was
important to train ourselves to be able to
make the best judgments in an emergency.”• “We didn’t think like, ‘Let’s wait and see for awhile’, or ‘It (tsunami) won’t come’. Because
we thought ‘We’re in danger!’ or ‘This is really
scary!!’ we were able to take rapid actions.”• “Each child caregiver has been more
and more conscious about disasterprevention and emergency evacuation
process.”• “By carrying out a surprise drill (without
notice), every child caregiver started
thinking of what they need to do orwhat assistance they need whenevacuating, and shared their opinionswith others.”

32• “We did not think that a tsunami would
come.”• “Even though the local governments showed
us the simulation of an earthquake and atsunami, our school was not in the tsunami
flood area so we were not worried.”• “There was a tradition of saying ‘when there
is an earthquake, a tsunami will come.’
However, because there were not many
people that had experienced (a tsunami)
before, we did not know the real fear of atsunami.”• “Because we hadn’t experienced a tsunami
until then, the idea of ‘earthquake = tsunami’
had faded out.”• “Because it was during the day,despite the power failure, we
could see the surroundings andour steps. If it had been at night,
preparing for the evacuation
would have been much harder.”• “We thought what would have
happened if it had rained onthat day.”East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate• “(When the earthquake occurred,) it was at atime where we knew what each child wasdoing. If children were in different locations, itwould have taken more time to gather themor enforce the roll-call.”• “At the actual evacuation, children quickly
followed the teachers’ instructions. Because
the disaster happened in March, even smallchildren and those who were in their first yearof nursery school had already done the drill
eleven times during the year so it seemed tobe that drills had become familiar to them. If
it had been at the beginning of the newschool year, it might have been chaotic andthe children would not have been calm.”

Supplemental
Materials

List of Reference Materials
Survey Questionnaires on Emergency Evacuation
Measures by Nursery Schools in Iwate in the East
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

List of Reference materials

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry“Disaster Prevention Handbook for Nursery Schools”
Download: Kawasaki-city, Kanagawa Homepage
http://www.city.kawasaki.jp/259/cmsfiles/contents/0000032/32758/file8.pdf
Shizuoka Prefecture Health and Welfare Department Childcare Division“Earthquake and other Disaster Prevention Manual for Nursery Schools (updated in
January 2012)”
Download: http://www.pref.shizuoka.jp/kousei/ko-130/kosodate/bousai.html
Kochi Prefecture School Board“Disaster Prevention for Nursery Schools and Kindergartens -Protecting Children’s
Lives- (updated in April 2012)”
Download: http://www.pref.kochi.lg.jp/soshiki/311601/bousaimanyuaru.html
Japan Private Kindergarten Joint Association“Handbook of Safety Measures to Protect Children from Accidents and Disasters at
Nursery schools (updated in 2010)”
Download: http://www.youchien.com/modules/tebiki/
Japan Society for Civil Engineers
Special Committee for Handling Enormous Earthquake Disasters
A Working Group for Developing Human Resources through Education on
Earthquake Disaster Prevention“Developing Skills to Resist Earthquake -Building a Stronger Nursery School-”
Announced in January 2006
Download: http://www.bousai¯gate.net/handbook/35

Multiple-choice Survey Questionnaire on Emergency Evacuation Measures by Nursery Schools in Iwate in the Great East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami

Form 1

Municipality:

Nursery School:

Name:

Tel:

Fax:

email：(Post:)

1. State of pre-3.11 earthquake and tsunami disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures and preparedness at your nursery school(1) Did you have your school assessed on the following earthquake
resistance and other safety measures? (Multiple selections permitted)
Had school buildings assessed/approved for earthquake resistanceTook measures against earthquake and tsunami risks
Conducted safety checks on exits/doorways and evacuation routes
Secured safe outdoor spaces (e.g., in the playground)
Others ()(2) Did you take the following DRR measures against earthquakes?
(Multiple selections permitted)
Anti-tipping measures on large equipment and furniture
Anti-shatter measures on window glasses
Safety measures on light fixtures
Safety measures on electrical appliances and handling fire
Others ()(3) Did you take the following measures and preparation forearthquake/tsunami disaster? (Multiple selections permitted)
Developed an earthquake (tsunami) disaster response manual
Developed an emergency contact system for children’s
parents/guardians
Developed an emergency contact system for families of staff
members
Prepared a specific measure in case when parents/guardians cannot
pick up their children at the time of disaster
Built cooperation/coordination mechanisms with neighbors
Identified and confirmed of evacuation locations and routes
Others ()(4) How often did you carry out regular evacuation drills withchildren/staff?
Less than once per month
Once per monthMore than once per month
Have not implemented
Did you incorporate the following methods? (Multiple selections
permitted)
A surprise drillWith parents/guardiansWith neighbors
Others ()(5) Were you implementing the following DRR education? (Multiple
selections permitted)
DRR training for staff members
Book reading and video viewing about earthquake DRR
Book reading and video viewing about tsunami
Others ()(6) How did you inform parents/guardians DRR measures of yourschool? (Multiple selections permitted)
Held workshops
By letters
Explained verbally
Others (36)

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate(7) Pre-3.11 emergency stocks and usage at the 3.11 disaster
StockedUsed at the 3.11
regularly
disasterFire extinguisher
Tools (hammer, saw,
crowbar, etc)
First aid kit
Disinfectant
Matches/lighter
Evacuation guiding tools(whistle, loudspeaker, etc)
Flashlight (with extra
batteries)
Radio
Radio phone
Satellite phone
Generator
Hard hats
Protective hoods
Blankets (for cold weather)TowelsExtra clothes (incl.
underwear)
Diapers
Emergency provisions(food)
Emergency drinking water
Baby milk
Baby food
Plastic/tarpaulin sheets
Tents
Ropes
Garbage bags
Tissues
Masking tapeWork gloves
Plastic tanks
Bicycles/motorbikes
Portable gas cooker (incl.
gas cylinders)Emergency carry bag
Small change (coins)
Name registers of children
Others:2. State of your nursery school when the 3.11 earthquake happened

3. Evacuation measures following the earthquake(1) Numbers of children and staff enrolled as of 03/01/2011
No. of Children:
No. of Staff:(1) Did you evacuate outside the school compound?
Evacuated to the temporary evacuation point assigned by the local
municipality
Evacuated to other location determined by school in advance
Waited in the playground (standing-by)
Stayed inside the school building ( Nursery school was theassigned evacuation location)
Evacuated to other location(Reason:)(2) Numbers of children and staff present at school when the earthquake
happened on 03/11/2011
No. of Children:
No. of Staff:(3) Did you notice the earthquake when you were at school?
Clearly noticed
Somehow noticed
Did not notice at all(4) What were the children doing when it happened? (Multiple selections
permitted)
Under care inside school
Under care in the playground
Taking for a walk outside
Taking a nap
Getting ready for home
Closed (no children in school)
Others ()(5) What did your children and staff do when it happened? (Multiple
selections permitted)
Went down under tables/desks and covered heads
Turned off stoves/heaters
Went out to the playground
Checked around inside the school
Did nothing
Others ()(6) When the tremor stopped, what did you do? (Multiple selections
permitted)
Carried out the roll call and safety confirmation inside the buildings
Carried out the roll call and safety confirmation outside
Checked the earthquake information
Contacted children’s parents/guardians
Did nothing (Went back to regular care work)
Others ()(7) How did you confirm the earthquake/tsunami information?
Via radio
On TV
Via the Internet
By phoneFrom the neighboring residence
Others ((8) Conditions of the school facilities after the earthquake
If unusable, when did
UsableUnusableit come back?
Electricity
Landline phone
Cellular Phone
Water supply
Sewage water(toilet)Gas)(2) How many children and staff evacuated from school together?
No. of Children:
No. of Staff:(3) What did you bring when you evacuated?
Name registers of children
First aid kit
Protective hoods/hard hats
Blankets/towels, etc
Radio, radiophone, cellphone, etc
Money, including small change
Others ()(4) Were you able to follow the evacuation manual?
Did
Did not
Guiding evacuation
Turned off
stoves/heaters
Roll-calls of children
Safety check insideschoolContact with children’s
parents/guardians
What were the reasons why you could not take the above actions?
()(5) Where did you hand over the children to their parents/guardians?
How many children? (Multiple selections permitted)
At nursery school
No. of children:
At evacuation location
No. of children:
On the evacuation route
No. of children:
Others (No. of children:)(6) When did you hand over the last child to his/her parents/guardians?
During the business hours on that day (e.g., by 7:00pm)
During the same day (before midnight)
Next day (03/12/2011)
Day after next day (03/13/2011)
Others ()(7) When did you complete confirming the safety of all children and staff(including those absent on that day)?
Same day
Next day (03.12)
Day after next day (03.13)
Others ()(8) When did you reopen school? Month:Day:
Under what condition did you reopen your school?
Full-time care (including school lunch)
Half-day care (no lunch)
Others ()

37

Open-ended Survey Questionnaire on Emergency Evacuation Measures by Nursery Schools in Iwate in the Great East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami
Municipality:

Nursery School:

Name:(Post:)

Form 2

1. Actions taken on the day when the earthquake and tsunami happened(If you took evacuation actions for the tsunami, please describe the situations following the earthquake.)
Time
Subject
Description(Before the earthquake)
14：26

At the time when the earthquake occurred(After the earthquake)・ Include timelines for each subject as much as possible.
・ Fill out up to the point when you returned all children under care to their parents/guardians.
・ For the column of “Subject,” describe in details as such examples as “Stand by at school,” “Beginning of evacuation,” “Contact withparents/guardians,” “Arrival at high ground,” “Return to school,” etc.
・ For the column of “Description”, describe in detail about damages to your school, state of children, conditions of returning children to theirparents/guardians, specific locations and names of evacuation locations, food access, and others.

To the other side→38

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

2. Other items(Please describe in details the following conditions, as you took evacuation measures and actions.)(1) Evacuation methods(2) Evacuation locations(3) Food access (including drinking water)(4) Measures against the cold weather(5) Sanitation(6) Staffing(7) Conditions of children(8) Information access(9) Handing over children to their parents/guardians(10) Others393. Reflections/opinions or any other notes looking back at the disaster(Please feel free to write any subjects. For example: Things that should have been put in place/prepared prior to the disaster; Things thatyour school has changed/improved after the disaster, etc.)

4. Others
Please attach any reference materials, such as photos.
If the above space is not enough, please feel free to write your comments/descriptions in additional sheets.

40

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: Survey Study on the Evacuation of Nursery Schools in Iwate
How were children saved?

Japan Committee for UNICEF
4-6-12, Takanawa, Minato-ku
Tokyo 108-8607, Japan
TEL : 03-5789-2011

Iwate Prefecture’s Children and Family Divisionof the Health Welfare Development
10-1, Uchimaru, Morioka-shi
Iwate 020-0023, Japan
TEL : 019-651-3111

Cover photo credit:ⓒJCU/K.Goto
Back cover photo credit (from the left):ⓒJCU/K.GotoⓒJCUⓒJCU/K.Goto
Photo Provided by a nursery school in Otsuchi city
ⓒJCU
ⓒJCU/K.Goto