Japanese Nursing Home: Escape Drills Helped Us Save Residents During Tsunami

A nursing home in the oceanside Japanese town of Minamihama is crediting their regular evacuation drills with saving their residents during the recent tsunami.

The facility staff practiced emergency drills so regularly that they were able to lower the time needed for evacuation from 20 minutes to five minutes within three years. During the four annual drills, staff wrapped residents in blankets and moved them to higher ground. Staff members were assigned to help specific residents.

According to the facility's supervisor, if it had taken them 20 minutes to evacuate the facility on the day of the tsunami, they wouldn't have made it to safety. All residents and employees of the facility survived the tsunami.

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