Coping with a Disaster

In the early morning of January 17, 1995, Hanshin-Awaji District of Japan experienced a large-scale local earthquake that devastated central towns in a matter of minutes. Six thousand people died and more than 280 thousand others were injured or suffered enormous economic, psychological, and physical losses. Access to vital services such as water, gas, electricity, food, transportation, and communication, were suddenly cut off. Hospitals were closed for nearly one month after the earthquake.

• Key to Success
• - Be Prepared
• - Unite with other ostomates
• Ostomy appliances
• - Keep at least one week's worth of ostomy appliances at hand. Store your supplies in several locations: in your home, at work, and other places you visit frequently.
• - Carry 1 or 2 appliances with you at all time.
• - The following types of appliances are generally recommended for emergency situations (regardless of your personal preference) where limited access to water, electricity, and a lack of privacy in emergency shelters is anticipated.
• - Colostomates and ileostomates should pack drainable pouches even if they normally use closed-end pouches. Under emergency situations, the drainable aspect of the pouch is more important than whether or not it is a one- or two-piece system. Anticipate that accessibility and availability of a wide range of choices may be limited.
• - Urostomates should prepare both a urinary pouch and a leg bag. Those people who require regular catheterization should store a spare catheter.
• - All appliances should be ready-to-use. If your skin barrier wafer is cut-to-fit, you should have several cut and ready to apply in your emergency kits.
• What to include in your emergency kit
• - Take only those supplies that are absolutely necessary for your stoma care, remembering you will have to live in an emergency shelter and will have little room to store them.
  · wet tissues (baby wipes) in case you have no access to water
  · surgical tape
  · small towels or gauzes to clean around stoma
  · plastic zip-loc baggies for storage or disposal of soiled supplies
• - Urostomates may want to include a sanitary napkin or diaper to absorb urine during pouch changes.
• - Canned tea, bottled water or drinks to maintain hydration, help prevent urinary tract infections and dehydration for everyone with an ostomy
• Other hints
• - Update stored appliances and accessories regularly, at least once a year. Buy a small amount of supplies at a time and use them to replace the old ones.
• - Memorize the brand names, size, order number or other specifics of the pouching system and accessories you use. A memo pad at the bottom of this page may be helpful.
• Irrigation
• - Assume that you will have no water with which to irrigation during a disaster. Even when the water supply is reopened, priority will be given to drinking and cooking. Do not be alarmed if you are unable to irrigate for several days. Your prior experience with natural methods will serve you well in this situation.
• Stay in touch
• - If you are involved in an emergency, try to get in touch with any JOA Chapter and inform them of your situation. JOA may be able to take effective countermeasures in cooperation with local authorities to assist you.
• - It is more likely that the needs of a group of ostomates, rather than a claim of a single ostomate, will be well reflected on emergency service by officials.
  In order for this to occur, ostomates must develop relationships and establish lines of communication with JOA or other public organizations.
  By organizing a group within your vicinity, it may also be possible to exchange necessary ostomy supplies and provide mutual encouragement during the difficult time.
• - JOA provides the vehicle to accomplish these goals.

«Sample form of Ostomates Memo»