Disaster Prevention Camp Held in Hiroshima for Children

August 21, 2019

Hiroshima- A camp for elementary school students to learn and be prepared for disasters was held in late July in Hiroshima, a western Japan city hit hard by landslides and torrential rain in recent years.

"It's important to be aware of the need for disaster prevention from childhood," said Hiroshi Kuraoka, 63, one of local community leaders who planned the camp.

"We want this event to be a chance for children to think (about disasters) while enjoying physical activities," he added.

Some 50 students participated in the overnight camp held at an elementary school in Aki Ward, where 18 people died in the rain disaster in summer last year.

During the event, disaster victims told stories about the time when water supply was disrupted and taught students how to use a portable toilet.

Students also learned how to act during natural disasters through games. They made makeshift stretchers using sticks and cloth and raced to transport balls. They discussed how to save a person buried under a collapsed house through a card game.

They made potato salad from cheese, potato snacks and hot water, as well as curry and rice. They enjoyed eating the emergency food, using plates made from newspapers and plastic wrap.

They took a bath in a drum can, wearing bathing suits.

"Taking a bath was fun. I think making emergency food is helpful," sixth-grader Sumire Nakayama, 11, said with a serious look on her face.

"I want children to learn useful knowledge while having fun," Nami Moritomi, 39, who supported the event as a volunteer, said, looking at her son, Rento, 8.

"We want to continue holding this event annually and raise young parents' awareness," Kuraoka said.

The Hiroshima city government plans to increase work-study programs such as taking a tour of monuments built to pass down stories about disasters in the past.

"We want children, who will become key community players in the future, to think about how to deal with disasters regularly," said a city government official in charge of disaster prevention. Jiji Press