Emergency Response to Noto Peninsula Earthquake

Eating is the power of recovery in disaster areas! –In Ishikawa Prefecture, which was devastated by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, more than 20,000 people are still living in evacuation centers or in their cars. AAR Japan(Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) has been supporting those who are facing difficulties by assisting soup kitchens run by the victims themselves, providing food for orphanages and foreign residents, in addition to soup kitchens at evacuation centers.

AAR has been supporting the efforts of chef Shunya Ikehata of the French restaurant "L'atelier de Noto" in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and his volunteers. On February 16, when the weather was very cold, they served "Stew with plenty of vegetables" made with various vegetables, mushrooms, and pork, together with freshly cooked rice.

Not only neighbors, but also a married couple on their way to transport discarded furnitures in a mini truck, local agricultural cooperatives, recovery support groups, and others stopped by one after another, receiving meals asking "How are you doing? " "I'm fine, thanks!".

AAR delivered vegetables such as lettuce, komatsuna(Japanese spinach) and broccoli, and processed meat products such as sausages and ham to Asunaro Gakuen, an orphanage in Anamizu Town, in Ishikawa prefecture. The facility provides three meals a day to 22 children, and the person in charge of cooking said, "With these received fresh vegetables we received, we will make salads for them as soon as possible." The water supply has not yet been restored in this area, and the staff members are struggling to support the children grow day by day.

The Ogi fishing port in Noto Town, located in the northeastern part of the Noto Peninsula, has been suffering from a water shortage that has made it impossible to make ice, which is essential for fishing boats, and has made it almost impossible to go out fishing. At a dormitory adjacent to the fishing cooperative, 28 Indonesian trainee fishermen (all men in their 20s) engaged in crab, shrimp, and squid fishing are living together, cooking their own meals. In response to their requests, AAR delivered long rice, vegetables, eggs, cooler boxes, kerosene, etc., as they said they were having difficulty obtaining food and daily necessities because they could not go far to buy them.

AAR staff, who had previously been stayed in Jakarta, visited the dormitory with Indonesian instant noodles, coffee, seasonings, and other popular Indonesian items. Yacob, 22, from Flores Island in eastern Indonesia, who has been in Japan for two years, said, "This is the taste of Indonesia that everyone loves. Telemakasi Banyak! (Thank you so much) for bringing it from so far away for us." He said with a smile in both Japanese and Indonesian. We also provided water to the victims, as the water supply is not working and there is a shortage of drinking water.

While the severe situation continues in the affected areas, the residents are trying to overcome the difficulties by helping each other. We appreciate your cooperation in AAR's support for the Noto Peninsula earthquake victims.

Links:

• AAR English website

In Ishikawa Prefecture, which was severely damaged by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, water has been still cut off in some areas, and there is no way to restore the water supply. The waterless goods that AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) delivers to local communities, donated by companies, have been particularly well received. Here are some comments from the affected areas.

More than six weeks have passed since the earthquake occurred, water has been cut off at the Ishikawa Seiikuen (social welfare corporation Tokumitsu-kai), a support facility for people with disabilities in the town of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture. The facility accommodates 105 persons with intellectual disabilities, including those with severe disabilities, who are unable to brush their teeth or take a bath because of water outage.

When AAR delivered a “waterless toothbrush set” (toothbrush, toothpick, etc.), donated free of charge by Yamato-Esulon Co., Ltd. (Yao City, Osaka Prefecture), the member of staff said, “I wanted something like this! The patients are unable to brush their teeth normally, so the staff members clean their teeth with a cotton ball, but there was a risk of injuring staff’s fingers. Now I can help them brush their teeth safely.”

At Suzu Tsubaki Social Welfare Corporation (Suzu City), a service manager said, “We cannot expect the water supply to be restored for the time being. The waterless toothbrush is a good product and a great help to us, as the oral care of the patients is not well taken care of.

Both facilities have received waterless “dry shampoo” and “wet towels”, donated by Felissimo Corporation (Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture). Both are indispensable items for caregivers in situations where bathing is difficult.

Cardboard beds are also being used to make everyday life at the evacuation centers as comfortable as possible. They provide highly effective heat insulation and eliminate the need to sleep on the cold, hard floors of gymnasiums and community centers. Hirohisa Kudo, director of the Wajima Municipal Oya Community Center, said, “The beds have been very helpful, with the additionally provided mattresses. The evacuees love them.”

A man in his 70s who was relaxing with his dog said, “I can sleep peacefully thanks to the cardboard beds, and my body feels a little better. In Wajima City, cardboard beds donated from Morii Shiki Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture), delivered by AAR, are also in use.

In the affected areas, the removal of collapsed houses and the construction of temporary housing have finally begun, but it will still take more time until people can regain their daily lives. We would like to once again express our gratitude to all the companies and organizations that are cooperating with AAR by providing supplies.

We would like to thank you once again for your cooperation in AAR’s support for the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

Links:

• AAR English website