Disaster Response Japan Project #62523

Emergency Response to Noto Peninsula Earthquake

by Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan)

Project Report | Jan 8, 2024
Foreign victims " cup of noodles once a day"

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

AAR visits the residence of foreign victims

A week has passed since the Noto Peninsula earthquake occurred, and more than 120 people have lost their lives so far, with many still unaccounted for. AAR Japan has also started to support foreign victims who were left behind.

There is no one nearby to rely on

AAR is providing emergency support in cooperation with welfare networks and other aid organizations in the affected areas. At the request of YOU-I (Nonoichi City, Ishikawa Prefecture), a non-profit organization that supports foreign nationals and Japanese nationals those who obtained Japanese nationality living in Ishikawa Prefecture, AAR visited Asian nationals evacuees living at home.

“Immediately after the earthquake, I went to an evacuation center at a nearby elementary school and received relief supplies only once. But I couldn’t receive anything after that because I had to go back to my apartment for work, so I contacted YU-I and got some cup noodles and other things.”
Mokkow, who is from Indonesia, lives with three others from Nepal who also work in agriculture. AAR handed bottled water, retort-packed rice, curry, and canned food to the four peopleMokkow said ,”Terima kasibanyak! (Thank you very much)”.He looked a little relieved.

Information on government assistance is not well known

“At first we evacuated to a nearby elementary school, but it was full of people, so we had no choice but to return to our apartment to live.”Ms. Leti and Mr. Quat, both from Vietnam, have been on “standby at home” since the hotel where they worked was closed due to the earthquake.In about two weeks, I will be transferred to another place of work, so I plan to move, but until then, I have to survive here somehow. ” they said with grim expressions on their faces.

Since they had no information about support from the government or aid organizations, AAR handed them drinking water and provided them with contact information for the Nanao City Hall and YU-I.According to the city office, the Community Development Support Division is the point of contact for consultation on daily life for foreign residents, but such information was not well known and no inquiries have come in since the earthquake.

AAR will continue to provide support to foreign residents in addition to the support to welfare facilities for people with disabilities in the affected areas, which has been our focus so far. We would like to ask for your cooperation in AAR’s emergency support for the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

AAR staff, Mr. Mokkou, and others from Indonesia

Wash dishes outside due to the water cut off.

Links:

AAR English website

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Jan 7, 2024
Emergency toilets, etc. delivered

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

Relief supplies from Montbell Inc.

More than 100 people have died and many are still missing in the Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, struck by the magnitude 7.6 earthquake on January 1. AAR Japan [Association for Aid and Relief, Japan] is sending emergency support teams to the affected areas and is also cooperating with companies to deliver emergency toilets and other relief supplies.

From the affected areas, we received the following message: “The water supply has been cut off for a long time and sanitary conditions are deteriorating. Emergency toilets are urgently needed.” After consulting with companies which support AAR, Montbell Inc. (Osaka City) donated 2,000 sets of portable toilets and 20 sets of toilet tents. With the help of volunteers from EntreX Incorporated, we were able to deliver the toilets to welfare facilities for the disabled in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture on the 7th.

Excelsior, Inc. (Setagaya-ku, Tokyo) has released 16,000 portable toilets with ponchos called “Mt.Fuji Toilet Mini”, 3,000 “Mt.Fuji Toilet Large”, and 3,000 units of the portable toilet with poncho, together with those procured by AAR, approximately 20,000 units were delivered to Ishikawa Prefecture in cooperation with the Japan Association of City Mayors.
Felissimo Corporation (Kobe City) also donated body wiping sheets, waterless shampoo, water tanks (foldable), and waterless mouthwash.

These products are very difficult to obtain immediately after such a disaster strikes, so the cooperation of companies is very important. AAR will continue to provide relief supplies to the affected areas with the help of companies, in addition to providing soup kitchens at evacuation centers and support to facilities for the disabled and elderly.

Due to the difficulty of delivering to the affected areas, we do not accept supplies from individuals. We appreciate your understanding.

Wet towels provided by Felissimo ready to deliver

Dispatch emergency toilets provided by Excelsior

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Jan 6, 2024
Delivering relief supplies to facilities for PWDs

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

AAR staff delivered relief supplies

More than 90 people have died so far in the Noto Peninsula earthquake of magnitude 7.6 on January 1 in Ishikawa Prefecture, and rescue efforts are continuing in the affected areas. AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) has dispatched an emergency support team to the affected areas to provide soup kitchens at Suzu City evacuation centers and deliver relief supplies to facilities for persons with disabilities in various parts of the prefecture.

Water has been cut off throughout the devastated city of Suzu, and power is out in some areas. At a group home, the building of the facility was fortunately not severely damaged, but the homes of residents and staff were destroyed, and some have not been able to confirm their safety. The service manager said, “We have distributed emergency rations that we had stored to all the users, but we are worried about when they will run out. There is an overwhelming shortage of food and other relief supplies that reach the evacuation centers, and it is difficult to obtain them once people leave the evacuation centers and return to their homes.

One staff member said, “A staff member has been forced to live whithout food with his father, his son’s family who have returned home for the New Year’s holidays. There is only one supermarket in the neighborhood, and customers have to pick up and purchase items scattered on the floor in the pitch-dark because of the violent tremors,” he said.

AAR’s emergency support team delivered bottled water, water tanks, food (canned food, instant curry, etc.), emergency toilets, and hygiene items (body wipes, waterless shampoo, etc.) on the night of March 4. The staff members especially appreciated the water tanks and emergency toilets and said, “Since the water supply has been cut off, people have been fetching water from nearby streams to flush their toilets,” and “In some cases, even women have been using toilets outside.”

Access to Suzu City is extremely dangerous as the road condition deteriorates from Nanao City to the northern part of the city, and north of Anamizu Town, the road surface is heavily rippled and has large cracks. Landslides and collapsed road surfaces were also seen, causing heavy traffic jams with vehicles derailing here and there. It took six and a half hours to reach Suzu City from Imizu City in western Toyama Prefecture, where relief supplies were procured.

We kindly ask for your cooperation in AAR’s emergency support for the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

AAR staff interviewing group home members

The main road leading to Suzu City has cracks

Links:

AAR English website

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