Changes in lifestyle at times of disaster and measures to be taken

When disaster strikes, water, electricity and gas among other things will not be available, and you will be unable to continue your normal lifestyle. The mental status of people during times of disaster makes them try to maintain their normal lifestyle as best they can. However, since this is not possible, switch to gemergency modeh and try to do the best you can with the things you have.

Meals

* Try to stay away from salty side dishes, soups and Japanese pickles
Distributed meals are mostly meal boxes and those from soup, and eating them will increase your salt intake, resulting in frequent swelling of the body.

* Dietary supplements are one option of compensating for lack of nutrition
You most likely will not be able to eat enough fruits and vegetables, and this unbalanced diet may cause you to become constipated easily. Prepare dietary supplements such as multivitamins as an emergency provision.

* Ask the personnel in charge at the evacuation shelters about distribution of fruits and vegetables
Relief goods such as food items are delivered to the city/town hall, evacuation shelters and public healthcare centers.

Sanitation

* Wipe your body with towels and wipes Bathing is not the only way to clean your body; try other methods to keep your body as clean as possible. Anal and vaginal areas tend to become unclean easily, so you may want to wash or wipe those parts frequently. For your hair, you can use dry shampoo that does not require any water.

Using the toilet

* When water is not availablec
- Do not use flush toilets.
- One method is to make a makeshift toilet by lining a plastic bag with newspaper.

* When a small amount of water is availablec
- Flush urine only once every few times.
If you make it a habit to keep the bath water in your bathtub, you can use that water to flush the toilet.

Keeping warm

* Keep warm by wrapping your body with newspaper, beddings and blankets, dressing warmly, using disposable pocket warmers (kairo), etc. During times of disaster in winter, there are many complaints: people catch colds easily, the body will not warm up because it is so cold, cannot stop shaking, and so on. If water can be boiled, you can use hot water bottles, and when electricity is available, you can use microwavable hot water bottles or electric heating pads. The outside temperature easily affects the body temperature of babies, so it is better if mothers hold their babies and warm them using body heat.

Making milk

* How to prepare warm waterc Boil water using a portable gas stove, electric pots and microwave ovens. * When you are unable to boil waterc - Dissolve baby formula with water. * When it cut off the waterc - Get water from a water truck and stored water * Sterilizing baby bottles... - Wash thoroughly with water before use. * If you are out of baby formulac - You can obtain baby formula as relief goods at evacuation shelters.

Living in an evacuation shelter

Living in a strange place and with strangers may cause mental fatigue, and you may experience stress from relationships with other people. Try not to keep your feelings bottled up inside; talk to other people about what you are feeling. It is important to remain courteous to each other, make sympathetic comments and show understanding toward othersf feelings. If you are concerned about something or having some kind of trouble, talk to your family members and/or people around you and try to resolve the issues by discussing them together.
If you are uneasy and worried that your child is bothering those around you by crying all the time, discuss with each other your needs and desires such as setting up rooms for families with children, or having a time to round up the children so they can play together and release some stress.
When forced to live in small spaces such as in cars, pay attention to signs of geconomy-class syndromeh; keep yourself adequately hydrated, and move your body by doing squats or taking walks to improve your blood circulation.

Information regarding volunteer help and day-to-day living

- If your body is under strain, do not hesitate to ask a volunteer to help you. One of the things you can ask a volunteer to do for you is to watch over your child while he/she plays. - Information regarding volunteers, relief goods and support of day-to-day living can be obtained through disaster-related websites accessible via cell phones and the Internet as well as at evacuation shelters and public healthcare centers. - Information regarding policies that support disaster victims is available at the city/town hall, so be sure to ask about it.