Fukushima Record: Chronology of the Fukushima
2011 3/11|Great East Japan Earthquake
Huge earthquake struck Fukushima city, which subsequently interrupted the water supply throughout the city, including that of the Fukushima Medical University Hospital, although there was no relevant damage to the hospital infrastructure.
We were preparing to receive sick and injured patients while the earthquake was still ongoing.

2011 3/12|Explosion at Unit 1 Reactor
We started preparing for radiation emergency medical care.
Radiologists and radiation technologists were ready at the Fukushima Medical University Decontamination Building (currently known as Fukushima Medical University Radiation Disaster Center) to respond to possible radiological exposure/contamination cases.

Devices, such as the Geiger-Mueller Survey Meter, were prepared for the detection of radioactive contamination.

2011 3/13|Getting Ready to Accept a Large Number of Patients
Hospital beds were prepared at the lobby of the ground floor to receive sick and injured patients admitted to the hospital.

2011 3/14|Explosion at Unit 3 Reactor
We started radiation emergency medical care.
Hospital outpatient care was temporarily suspended and we began to provide radiation emergency medical care, starting with patients who got injured in the nuclear accident site.

2011 3/15|Explosion at Unit 2 and 4 Reactors
On this day, cases of injuries/illnesses with darionuclides contamination were reported.
We continued decontamination and medical treatment of patients injured in the hydrogen explosion.

Hospital resident of the Self Deference Force
Meanwhile the JSDF arrived and were stationed in the hospital. On the evening of that same day, JSDF Central Nuclear Biological Chemical Weapon Defense Unit 103 Division also joined our efforts and undertook the lead in transportation, decontamination, and exposure screening of patients. This support resulted in drastic improvement of the quality of our radiation emergency medical care, for which we are enormously grateful.

2011 3/16
Radiation Emergency Medical Assistance Team (REMAT) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki Universities
On this day, the REMAT from Hiroshima and Nagasaki Universities, who had joined in Fukushima, headed to NPP in the town of Okuma by JSDF helicopter to transport the patient who have injured with contaminated.

Logistics stop
At this point, food supply was disrupted and all the foodstuff at the convenience stores of the hospital were depleted. Fortunately, however, an increasing number of relief supplies from all over the country arrived around this time. We are grateful to each individual for their generous support.

2011 3/17
Radiation Emergency Response Training
We anticipated that the number of injuries could rise at any moment. The emergency response training was held for the first time since the disaster, and it was helpful to reassess and confirm the roles of the members of the hospital staff.

2011 3/18
Lecture for Hospital Staff; Water Supply was resumed
For the purpose of crisis communication, we organized a lecture concerning the effects of radiation on health that targeted the hospital staff. Water distribution infrastructure was recovered around this time and water supply was resumed at the hospital on the following day.

2011 3/19
Radiation Emergency Medical Assistance Team (REMAT)
The Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Team took over the advance troop REMAT Nagasaki, which had arrived on March 14, and conducted a handover process to ensure a smooth transition.

2011 3/20
Radionuclide Contamination Screening at the Hospital
We performed contamination screening of patients from evacuation zones at the main entrance of the hospital.

2011 3/19 〜21
Large-scale Medical Transport
Distant medical transport transport via Fukushima Medical University took place consistently, and a large number of patients were transferred from medical facilities in the affected areas to the distant region in Niigata, Gunma, and other prefectures

with the support of the Japan DMAT and other teams of the JSDF, Japan Coast Guard, and Fire Department helicopters.

2011 3/24
Three Workers Suffered Radiation Contamination of Their Lower Extremities at the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 Reactor
REMAT members immediately set up the necessary equipment and waited for the arrival of the patients.

2011 3/25〜
Multidisciplinary team meeting
It was at this early stage of the disaster that the REMAT started to have regular multidiciplinary meetings with mini-lectures, to share information with relevant personnel, and to build knowledge on radiation. These meetings are still held on a regular basis.
