Disaster Response Japan Project #7954

Relief Assistance for Tohoku Earthquake Affected

by Japan Emergency NGO (JEN)

Project Report | Sep 26, 2011
Tsunami Relief for Ishinomaki Locality, June - August 2011.

By Miyako Hamasaka | Manager, External Relations

Cleaning and restoration of a local graveyard

Project

Relief & Re-establishment activities for those affected by the Tohoku Pacific Area Earthquake

Target Area

Miyagi Prefecture, Ishinomaki City and nearby villages

Activities during June, July & August 2011

[Distribution of daily goods to temporary shelters]

Almost 7,000 temporary shelters have now been built for local residents who lost their homes in the Tsunami. JEN support this activity by distributing around 50 items, including bedding, clothing, kitchenware, hygiene materials etc. to each temporary home.

[Community Space]

As local residents move to transitional shelters or where they prefer and it is possible, back to the upper floors of their partially destroyed homes, the soup kitchens have become required less and JEN closed their Ishinomaki soup kitchen in July. To ensure that people can still gather for social activities and to help promote a community environment, 3 Community Spaces have been established. JEN has initiated some activities and seeks community input for ideas and organization going forward. Activities which JEN have organized to date, include, tea parties, yoga, massages, iPad sessions and a homework group. Volunteers assist with these activities giving their time and sometimes their expertise to support the delivery of a successful session.

JEN is planning to open more than 10 community spaces by the end of this year as part of their unique psycho-social care assistance.

[Mud busters continue]

JEN continues to coordinate volunteer activities in wider community, cleaning houses, streams and ditches, of debris and sludge. To date around 200 homes have been cleaned and many ditches cleared with almost 3000 JEN volunteers. A professional contractor volunteered his natural enzyme product and time to spray areas after sludge removal to help prevent the build-up of flies and mosquitos.

Some volunteers travel to the area for the day, or a few days, whilst others may stay longer, or return for more than one visit – coming from all over Japan as well as travelling from far away countries such as England, to lend their support. Everyone’s assistance is appreciated, “Thank you from the people of Ishinomaki and from JEN”, and volunteers are still very much needed …. please.

[Income Generation]

JEN has engaged with the wider community to understand that a need for assistance is required for some of the smaller fishing village areas, to support them in re-establishing their livelihoods. Volunteers have consequently been performing activities such as assistance with Oyster farming, fish-cake factory restoration, fishing net preparations and of course with ditch cleaning.

Volunteers assist local Oyster farmers

Items distributed to each transitional shelter.

Ladies enjoy a tea party at a Community Space

Debris removal from a stream

Stream clearing - many hands make light work!

Links:

Link to JEN web site

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Jul 5, 2011
Emergency Assistance for the Great East Japan Earthquake in April

By Miyako Hamasaka | Manager, External Relations

Tool Kit Distribution

◆ Project

Volunteer mobilization and coordination in the affected by the Tohoku Pacific Area Earthquake

◆ Target Area

Miyagi Prefecture, Ishinomaki City

◆ Activities in April 2011

[Local staff employed]

During April, JEN has hired 6 local staff from the victims of the earthquake in Ishinomaki. At the beginning, we have dispatched our staff from Tokyo headquarters in turn. However, due to the fact that mid-term to long-term assistance shall be needed, as we do in other operational countries, we have started to employ local staff in the area.

They have been working as project coordinator, logistic officer, finance/administration officer. We still have 3 to 4 staff from headquarters engaged in the operation in the field, and 3 to 4 staff working at headquarters solely in charge of Tohoku project as well.

[Mud busters started]

There are large needs to clean the mud inside and outside of the houses. There are many volunteers who wish to lend a hand to the needs in the field. JEN has started to coordinate volunteer activities in the field. Although the lack of infrastructures slow down the implementation of the assistance, there have been more than 1000 volunteers who join the program. They are expected to come to Ishinomaki by themselves and bring all their needs on their own, starting from sleeping bag to daily food and water. Still there are many volunteers from in and out of Japan and we highly appreciate their hard work.

Eventually, JEN has found one abundant house which could be used as volunteer accommodation, then we call “Watanoha Base Camp” till today. The capacity is around 20 to 30 people. There is toilet, running water (not shower but in the kitchen) and portable gas stove for the volunteer needs.　　JEN staff is coordinating with other NPOs and local governmental bodies not to duplicate the needs. JEN staff are assessing the needs of each houses in the area allocated for JEN and try to meet all the needs on the ground. It’s been a real grass roots initiatives till today which allow us to build a good relationship with local house hold which results to set up Community Soup Kitchen for phyco –social care.

Voice of Mud-busters

“Nationality, age, profession, sex… It has been truly an exciting experience to live together with such a diverse team. In fact, the team got on very quickly despite the diversity.

Our work consisted of different needs. Mud removal, hay removal, roof tile removal, cleaning houses, transporting various things… None of them were easy task. And yet when I visited the affected people’s homes, all of them were so positive and strong, each holding his/her emotions for successful reconstruction. “

Links:

Too Slow Support

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Jul 5, 2011
Emergency Assistance for the Great East Japan Earthquake in May

By Miyako Hamasaka | Manager, External Relations

Installing NFI for Temporary Shelters

◆ Project

Emergency Relief Activities for the affected by the Tohoku Pacific Area Earthquake

◆ Target Area

Miyagi Prefecture, Ishinomaki City

◆ Activities in May 2011

[Distribution of daily goods to temporary shelters]

Many houses were swept away by Tsunami and temporary shelters are being built by the government. In Ishinomaki, 8000 temporary shelters are planned to be built but it is on its half a way now. Local government prepare only the building itself. Red Cross is to prepare electric devices such as refrigerator, washing machine, TV.

JEN wish the people could start their daily life immediately after moving into the temporary shelters. Therefore we are preparing the daily goods, such as kitchen equipment and bedding consists of 56 items. Sorting out and distributing to each room is the work done by volunteers and locally employed part-time workers.

[Community Soup kitchen to Community Cafe]

JEN has started its soup kitchen in the evacuation center, which was located in secondary school in Sendai city. Then after settle down in Ishinomaki, we started a soup kitchen for people in Ishinomaki who eventually returned their house’s second floor or above. (First floors are mostly destroyed by mud and sludge due to Tsunami)

We have called for groups of volunteers who have experiences and with the condition of could stay in the place for more than one week continuously. JEN intended not only providing the warm dish but warm communication to be established between the group of volunteers and locals. It exceeded our expectation. Soup kitchen volunteer groups have made a wonderful communication with the locals.

Now the number of places are increasing and covering entire city of Ishinomaki, gradually to be shifting into a “community café” where local people could gather, exchange information, chat over the tea, and receive massage which is provided by the volunteers. JEN is planning to open more than 10 community café by the end of this year. It is JEN’s another psycho-social care assistance.

[Mud busters continue]

There are still large needs to clean the mud inside and outside of the houses. There are many volunteers who wish to lend a hand to the needs in the field. JEN has continued to coordinate volunteer activities in the field. There have been more than 2,398 volunteers who joined JEN’s volunteering program (988 from JEN, 1410 from volunteer center). Base camp for volunteers is prepared since April.

Links:

Unprecedented natural disaster- by Keiko Kiyama

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