Torrential rains that caused widespread damage in the southern part of Kumamoto Prefecture in early July highlighted the need to prepare evacuation plans beforehand for nursing homes for older people during disasters.
At 11 a.m. on July 6, a care operator in Omuta in Fukuoka Prefecture, which is located near a river, decided in a staff meeting to start preparing for evacuations when the rain was still light.
When the city issued an alert, advising vulnerable people, including older people and those who need support, to prepare for evacuation, the staff moved aspirators, beds and a private power generator to the third floor and started evacuating residents around 3:30 p.m. The Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 alert for heavy rain, its highest warning, about an hour later.