Disaster Response Japan Project #62523

Emergency Response to Noto Peninsula Earthquake

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

Project Report | Oct 7, 2024
Distributing Food to Foreign Survivors

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

Technical intern trainees receive relief supplies

In the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture, which has been hit by record-breaking heavy rainfall, AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) has begun providing food assistance to foreign survivors in the affected areas. We delivered food and drinking water to technical intern trainees who are anxious about the difficulty of receiving information and support due to language barriers and other problems, and interviewed them about their immediate needs.

“I was surprised to see rainwater knee-deep in front of our dormitory”, “It was raining terribly, but the Japanese captain was worried and came to check on us, which made me feel relief a bit.” Indonesian fishery trainees at a fishing port in Suzu City, located at the tip of the Noto Peninsula, described how they were affected by the disaster, and showed a look of relief when we visited them with relief supplies at the end of September.

There are currently 17 trainees living in this dormitory. The electricity is working, but the tap water sometimes smells bad and becomes muddy. There is a possibility that the dam upstream may have been damaged by the heavy rains, and the water is likely to be cut off in the near future, and administrative broadcasts are calling for water conservation. There is still no prospect for the resumption of fishing. The vivid marks of the heavy rain damage still remain in the river near the fishing port still bears, including a large amount of driftwood.

AAR delivered 120 liters of bottled drinking water, 190 packages of Thai instant noodles, 5 bags of dried noodles (pho, 10 bags of Thai rice noodles), and 19 body wiping sheets as immediate needs. The trainees helped unload the goods with their strong arms and said with a smile, “Oh yes, this is what we wanted.”

Most of the surrounding areas have been flooded, and since the rains began to intensify, and it is said that the communication environment has been disrupted and Internet access has remained difficult. The Internet is a necessity for obtaining disaster-related information and keeping in touch with family back home, but the lack of it is causing them to become increasingly anxious.

AAR is in contact with local authorities and international exchange groups to help ensure that foreigners are not left out of disaster prevention information, such as water shortages. We would appreciate your cooperation for Heavy Rain in Noto Peninsula.

A river with a large amount of driftwood

Trainees helping to unload relief supplies

Links:

AAR English website

Permalink

Oct 4, 2024
Soup Kitchen for Evacuees in Shelters and at Home

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

AAR Ohara delivers breakfast on September 22

On January 1, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, and AAR Japan's emergency relief team has been providing immediate support. Furthermore, on September 21, record-breaking rainfall hit the quake-stricken areas, causing floods and landslides, and since September 22, AAR has been providing emergency assistance such as soup kitchens to the earthquake and heavy rain victims.

The recent heavy rains that hit the affected areas, which are still in the process of recovering from the Noto Peninsula earthquake, have caused serious damage in many areas. People are once again forced to live in inconvenient conditions, as gymnasiums that were supposed to be used as evacuation centers are now flooded and unusable, and water and power outages continue even at evacuation centers.

On September 22, AAR’s emergency support team began providing soup kitchens at a community center in a shelter in Noto Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, serving 100 meals of Kenchin Soup for breakfast and rice balls to those who evacuated in the shelter and at home.
Surviors who received the hot meals commented, “I am so grateful because I can’t even go shopping.”

For dinner on September 22, 100 servings of curry were cooked and served to survivors in temporary housing in Wajima City and Noto Town. Those who received the food said, “Ah, it finally arrived!” and “Thank you for coming!”

Just as they were finally able to move into temporary housing after living in evacuation centers due to the earthquake, many of them have returned to living in shelters due to the damage caused by the recent heavy rain. AAR will continue to provide emergency support such as distribution of hygiene products. We would like to ask for your cooperation for Heavy Rain in Noto Peninsula.

At a home of survivor in Wajima City

AAR Ohara cooking for the soup kitchen

Links:

AAR English website

Permalink

Aug 25, 2024
Enjoy Home-cooked Filipino Meal!

By Chiaki Furukawa | Senior Managing Director

Regina (center) cooking Afritada with her friends

This summer, AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief Japan) organized a soup kitchen of home-cooked meal by Filipinos living in the affected areas as a part of activities to support foreign survivors of the Noto Peninsula earthquake. Technical trainees in the fishing industry and other industries and foreign residents living in the affected areas have weak ties with the local community due to the language barrier, and it is difficult for them to receive information on administrative services and evacuation centers. We organized this soup kitchen to help local neighbors to become aware of the existence of foreign residents and build their relationship of mutual help in the ordinary course of events.

The soup kitchen at Wajima Junior High School in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, where reconstruction work continues, was run by Filipino Regina and her friends with the help of Mr.Kinoshita, who runs a Japanese language school in Wajima. Under the hygiene guidance of local chef Mr.Tominari, who has worked with AAR on the soup kitchens, they cooked “Afritada”, a tomato stew with chicken and vegetables and served for lunch to 53 people living in the shelter.

Regina said with a smile “At first I was going to make it by myself, but my friends helped me because it was a lot. We worked well together and it was a lot of fun.” Afritada they cooked was highly praised by the chef, and the people at the shelter commented “I've never had this kind of meal before, but it was delicious and goes well with rice”,” I heard they were made by Filipinos!”

Since the shelter's cooking area and living space were completely separated, Regina and her friends could not have direct contact with the survivors. However, Mr. Kinoshita put a big note on the menu saying “Prepared by the Regina and her friends who live in Wajima” to let people know about them. He said, “I hope that everyone who ate the unusual food, which was different from the usual soup kitchen, will remember that there are Filipinos living close by, along with the memories of this meal.”

While the number of foreign residents in Japan increases, promoting mutual assistance between foreigners and local residents in the event of a disaster is a challenge. In cooperation with local residents, AAR is planning to create a support network to help foreign residents in the Okunoto region to live with peace of mind. We ask for your continued understanding and support for the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

Afritada, a home-cooked Filipino dish

Links:

AAR English website

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 16 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.