Soon after the disaster, Keio University, including faculties of Keio University School of Medicine, started planning to send medial rescue teams to the stricken area.
However, as was the case with previous disasters, it was hard to access accurate information about what was going on and what we could do. In response to the call for volunteers, many faculty members and fellows applied to join the teams. The initial teams were organized to include a physician, a surgeon, a nurse, and a radiation specialist; they departed for Kesennuma city, located at the northern edge of Miyagi prefecture, 6 days after the earthquake, to collect accurate information and also to give medical care.
