長岡赤十字病院の「救護活動記録」の、東日本大震災当日に派遣されたDMAT第1班メンバーの大川看護師からの寄稿です。
今回の災害の大きさを感じつつ、福島へ向かいました。その後、日赤救護班として新地町にて救護活動を行いましたが、原発事故により撤収となり、宮城県へ向かうことになりました。自身を守るためとは言え、数時間で撤収せざるを得なかったことがいつまでも重く圧し掛かりました。災害派遣では、準備をしっかりと行うことの重要性を感じました。
This content is about an excerpt of a report on relief activities conducted by the Nagaoka Red Cross Hospital during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The excerpt is about an essay contributed by Ms. Okawa, a nurse of the hospital who was dispatched as a member of the first DMAT from the hospital to the affected area on the earthquake day:
"While traveling to Fukushima, I felt the enormity of the disaster. After our DMAT was transformed to a JRCS relief team, we provided relief activities in Shinchi Town. However, we had to leave Fukushima due to the nuclear accident and travel to Miyagi Prefecture. That decision was made to protect ourselves but we had to leave only a few hours after we began our activities. The fact depressed me for a long time. From this experience, I felt the importance of preparing well before departing to affected areas."