Japanese flood disaster frays resilience of elderly victims

By Tim Kelly

[...]

Fukushima is no stranger to disaster. In 2011, the area was struck by an earthquake that unleashed a tsunami on the coast and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

But as Japan’s population ages, the resilience of residents to deal with hardship in the disaster-prone country appears to be eroding.

“Elderly people have told me that they are ready to give up,” said Kenichi Bamba, the head of Bridge for Fukushima, a volunteer group that had come to help with the clean-up.

“As Japan grows older, social networks that support communities will begin to break down. Something needs to be put in its place,” he said.

[...]