Crisis Perceptibility of People Requiring Assistance and Special Care: A Case Report

A major problem during a disaster relates to people requiring assistance. Very few studies have investigated the difficulties people requiring assistance during an actual disaster experience. We examined the situations and behavior of those with intellectual, developmental, and psychiatric disorders during the Great East Japan Earthquake through semi-structured interviews of eight supporters. In essence, the study aimed to elucidate crisis perceptibility of people who require assistance and special care during disaster evacuation. Results revealed that immediately after the disaster occurred, people requiring assistance and special care during evacuation did not exhibit any signs of panic or unexpected reactions. We assumed that the factor that accounted for the finding was the presence of supporters who understood them. There was also the possibility that different cognitive function profiles of people requiring assistance and special care affected their behavior during a disaster.