from August 2004 Issue of Japanese Deaf News, JFD’s monthly newspaper:
Mobile phones prove to be most useful, and fax machines less so
A torrential rainfall caused by the active seasonal rain front ravaged three prefectures of Niigata, Fukushima and Fukui. As of July 26, it is confirmed that there were no injuries to any Deaf people or to sign interpreters. 28 families of the Deaf in Niigata and Fukushima, were however, reported to be flooded above or below floor level.
Spending a night on top of a car roof
Home of Mr Katsuya Haga, chairman of Sanjo
Deaf Welfare Society in Niigata. The flood
water reached the level where he is pointing at.
In Niigata Prefecture, damages concentrated in the cities of Sanjo and Mitsuke, and the town of Nakanoshima. Casualties among the Deaf were 16 floodings above floor level and 2 below. Many Deaf people live in Sanjo City. Every road there was covered with water up to knee or to chest level and roads leading to Sanjo were so congested that it was difficult to reach the devastated area. In such circumstances, leaders of the local sign language study group took the initiative in confirming the safety of the Deaf in the community.
Many facsimile machines went underwater and became useless, while sending and receiving text messages through mobile phones proved most useful in confirming safety and exchanging information. On the other hand, people without mobile phones spent worrisome days, not having means to communicate with others.
The first floor of the home of Mr Katsuya Haga, chairman of Sanjo Deaf Welfare Society, was flooded. A new facsimile machine was brought to his home by the Niigata Deaf Association. A deaf person who spent a night on the roof of his car submerged underwater said, “My wet body became cold and it was scary because it was so dark around.”
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