October 16, 2019, the joint emergency assistance team (PWJ/A-PAD Japan/Civic Force) continued working in Nagano Prefecture. Working with the Nagano Prefecture DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team), SDF, fire departments, and other medical facilities, the team transferred patients from the Sanikukai Clinic that experienced power and water outages to nearby hospitals.
The team assisted transferring 238 patients in three days from October 13, 2019. The patient transfer operation was completed today as every patient who needed to be transferred was sent to other hospitals.
As of October 16, 2019, approximately 4,500 people in 13 prefectures have been forced out of their homes due to the heavy rains and are staying at evacuation centers. In Fukushima and Nagano Prefectures, there are as many as 1,762 and 1,081 evacuees, respectively, with no exact date for their return.
Starting October 16, the team began needs assessments in Soma-shi, Fukushima Prefecture, which is experiencing a water outage.