Record of the initial response to the East Japan Great Earthquake

When the tsunami struck the port area a year ago, on what the Japanese referred to as "3/11", the institution was the only one able to function. Every other hospitals and clinics were destroyed or disabled by the floods.

The Red Cross Hospital had an earthquake-resistant structure and many other safety features. But perhaps, just as important, was its disaster response manual with the names of officers responsible for different duties.

All staff had gone through simulation exercises and training, explained Abe, of the planning and coordination department.

Within four minutes after the earthquake which preceded the tsunami, the hospital's disaster headquarters was ready, while it took an hour to set up a triage in the lobby.

They treated almost 4,000 patients in the first week, roughly eight times the usual number. The hospital normally had 1,800 patients per month.

Even with the phone lines down, the staff soldiered on. They didn't even know if their own families and homes had survived.

After a week, they found out that they had lost 40 family members.

"Before 3/11, the concentration was on the possibility of a major earthquake, not a tsunami. This was outside the scope of people's expectations," said Abe.

But with emergency response training and high morale, the staff adapted.

"You should not preconceive what disaster you are prepared for. In addition to basic preparations, you need to be flexible with countermeasures against the unexpected." By Santha Oorjitham