Evacuation Center Gives Special Care to Foreign Nationals in Osaka

June 25, 2018

Minoo, Osaka Pref.- Foreign citizens affected by last week's major earthquake in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, have expressed their gratitude for being cared for at evacuation centers.

People from many countries took shelter at an elementary school in Minoo, Osaka, that became an evacuation center after the 6.1-magnitude earthquake on June 18.

Among the evacuees were international students from Osaka University, which is located nearby, and their acquaintances who learned of the center by word of mouth and social media. Of over 100 evacuees staying at the center, about 90 pct were foreign nationals at one point.

A local international exchange association that had coordinated with the city of Minoo about ways to respond to disasters sent staff members to the evacuation center to work as interpreters.

Using five languages, including English, Chinese and Thai, association members and city officials helped evacuees who had trouble communicating in Japanese.

One member sent from the association said he tried to serve as a bridge between the foreign evacuees and their host.

Hoping to avoid unnecessary problems, he translated one by one the basic rules for staying at the shelter, such as "taking off shoes before entering a room" and "standing in line to get meals."

He also tried to meet requests from foreign evacuees, such as one for securing a prayer space at the evacuation center.

Meanwhile, city officials worked on providing halal food.

Apparently thanks to the care of the staff members, the evacuees gradually opened up to others at the center.

A 41-year-old city official provided consultation for a foreign evacuee using broken English.

"One evacuee, afraid of aftershocks, asked me when it was going to shake again," the official said. "I was frustrated that I couldn't ease the evacuee's concerns."

Andrew Samy, a 28-year-old student from Egypt, said he felt uneasy because he could not read earthquake-related information sent to mobile phones in Japanese. He said he was glad to be staying at the evacuation center.

A 25-year-old student from Indonesia left the center with a smile on her face and was heard exchanging words in English with a staff member who saw her off. Jiji Press