Hotels to be used in disasters to prevent crowding at shelters

The use of commercial accommodation facilities such as hotels by evacuees when powerful Typhoon No. 10 hit Japan last month has been highlighted as an effective coronavirus countermeasure in the event of a disaster.

The sheltering of evacuees at hotels and inns, mainly in Kyushu, is believed to have had some effect in avoiding overcrowding at evacuation centers.

More and more local governments are promoting the use of commercial accommodation facilities in disasters, but some issues remain, such as fears residents may be unable to receive disaster aid.

Takako Eguchi, the president of Yumotoso Toyokan ryokan inn in Takeo, Saga Prefecture, said all 23 rooms at the facility were booked on Sept. 4 as Typhoon No. 10 was approaching. “The inn hasn’t been used to accommodate disaster evacuees before. I was surprised,” Eguchi, 55, said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency and other authorities issued extremely high-level alerts at an early stage as the typhoon was approaching, warning that it would be as strong as a 1959 typhoon that left more than 5,000 people dead or missing.

The inn was inundated with bookings and inquiries from people worried about the risk of coronavirus infections at evacuation shelters, with one person saying, “Even if it costs money, I want to stay in a private room.”

At JR Hotel Clement Uwajima in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, all of its 82 rooms were fully occupied on Sept. 6, when the typhoon was approaching the city.

“I choose this hotel partly due to concerns about the coronavirus. We were able to sleep through the typhoon,” said a man who stayed there with three family members during the storm. “I’d use it again for an evacuation.”

In a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office on municipalities in seven prefectures in Kyushu and Yamaguchi

Sandbags are seen outside a hotel in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, that was fully booked as Typhoon No. 10 approached the region on Sept. 7.

Prefecture, 81 of the 236 that responded said they were aware of residents who had evacuated to hotels or ryokan inns due to the typhoon.

Demand was so high that some people could not reserve rooms at commercial accommodation facilities, but this helped to ease congestion at evacuation shelters in some areas.

Since April, the central government has asked local governments to promote “dispersed evacuations” in the event of a disaster, accommodating evacuees in as many locations as possible to avoid crowding at shelters amid the coronavirus pandemic. The central government has also asked local governments to consider utilizing commercial accommodation facilities, making use of supplementary subsidies earmarked to cope with the crisis.

Moves to establish a system to subsidize lodging expenses and to conclude

agreements with facilities have been spreading among local governments.

In Mito, where large-scale flood damage was caused by Typhoon No. 19 in October last year, the city government reached an agreement with accommodation business associations in June. Under the accord, the city government can ask hotels and ryokan inns to provide guest rooms to shelter evacuees.

The city government will dispatch officials and doctors to the hotels and inns in the event of a disaster, to ensure evacuees at the facilities receive the same level of support as those at designated shelters.

“It is important to secure accommodations so that people who fear the risk of infections can evacuate. It will also help to reduce congestion at evacuation centers,” a city official said.

The city government of Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, also utilized the

central government package to create a subsidy for residents who may need additional support in the event of a disaster, such as elderly and disabled residents. Under the system, people who evacuate to 13 designated hotels in the city can receive up to ¥3,500 per person, per night.

“It can be said that the high- level warnings issued ahead of Typhoon No. 10 caused residents to consider options other than evacuation centers,” said University of Tokyo Prof. Toshitaka Katada, an expert on disaster management.

“Although there are many issues to be addressed, we hope that local governments will consider the use of lodging facilities in order to promote dispersed evacuation. Each individual choosing an evacuation site depending on the circumstances is something that needs to become deeply rooted in society.”