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In Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture where Yukie Onodera, a member of the NPO Partner Project team, lives, every 11th is designated as "Disaster Preparedness Day" after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Public announcements are being made to promote disaster preparedness with family members.
Civic Force’s staff member based in an affected region, Sachiko Onodera, will discuss the importance of disaster preparedness and prevention measures every month around the 11th. This second post will discuss evacuation at home. 

As another typhoon approaches Japan, are you preparing for a potential power outage?  

Some of you might have outdoor lanterns in addition to flashlights. At our house, we each have an LED light and small indoor sensor lights that are placed in several places on the stairs and corridors and are used on a regular basis. 

I put the sensor lights on after hearing a story from someone who experienced flood damage in Hita City, Oita Prefecture. Her two small children became scared of rain and power outages after the flood. She then installed multiple sensor lights in the hallway at a height that the children could reach.They started using the lights on a regular basis and became less scared during power outages. I heard that if you get used to using it on a regular basis, you won't panic in an emergency, so I decided to install them in my home as well. 

Small children are especially sensitive to environmental changes. Problematic behavior may happen after time has passed. I believe creating an environment that is conscious of disasters on a daily basis could reduce the psychological burden on children.

Air conditioning and fans cannot be used during power outages and you may worry about heat strokes. In such a case, a frozen pouched drink is useful. After using the pouch to cool down, you can drink it when it melts to rehydrate and recharge yourself, so it's three birds with one stone. You can also simply wipe your body with a wet towel, but wiping with water with a little peppermint oil will give you a refreshing feeling. However, please do not use peppermint oil undiluted and do not use it in homes with pets or on babies. In addition, if you store clean water in the bath, it is convenient not only for cooling the body but also for the toilet.

IH cooking heaters cannot be used during power outages, and city gas may stop during a disaster. Using propane gas or a cassette stove for a long time during a power outage might be difficult in the hot summer. 

So I would like to introduce "soaked pasta". Place pasta in a ziplock bag with water for at least two hours. When ready to eat, take out the pasta and boil them for a minute and mix with any sauce. Soaked pasta can be stored frozen and perfect for stockpiling.