2024 Ishikawa Earthquake Response

Four months have passed since the Noto Peninsula earthquake struck on New Year's Day 2024 and yet more than 4,600 people are still living in evacuation centers. Civic Force has been delivering needed supplies to the Oku-Noto area through the online matching platform "Good Links." In addition, Civic Force has been supporting the impacted communities through NPO Partner Projects.

NPO PARTNER PROJECT - Hokuriku Gakuin University Disaster Area Support Center x Civic Force

With the shortage of volunteers in the disaster-stricken areas becoming a major issue, the Hokuriku Gakuin University Disaster Area Support Center in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture dispatches student volunteers to help clean evacuation centers and victims' homes. They also carry out activities such as photo cleaning, hosting a community event in temporary housing, and offering a safe space for children. They also act as a volunteer dispatch hub for universities across the country.

This NPO Partner Project began in March and it provides support to maintain a workplace for volunteers and covers transportation and procurement costs for equipment.

The Hokuriku Gakuin Disaster Area Support Center was established within the Hokuriku Gakuin University Community Education Development Center, which aims to create a system to support disaster recovery and reconstruction.

In addition to dispatching university students and faculty as volunteers, the Center plans to serve as a hub for support operations including operating student volunteer buses within and outside the prefecture for members of the Japan Social Work Education School Medical Association.

NPO PARTNER PROJECT - Small Cove Project

Starting at the end of March, Civic Force began working with the owners of Cafe Cove who fled Suzu City and started an initiative called the Small Cove Project. Cafe Cove was a stylish cafe located near Kinoura Beach in Suzu City, overlooking the bay at the northernmost tip of the Noto Peninsula, but was forced to close due to the effects of the tsunami and earthquake. The cafe owners evacuated to Kanazawa City, but they started a small cafe in front of Kanazawa Station hoping to create a place for evacuees in Kanazawa City to gather together.

People who have been forced to bounce around can enjoy healthy meals while sharing their worries while living in evacuation zones and how to rebuild their lives. This place brings hope to those who visit.

During the pre-planning event held in February, the participants commented, “I was able to see everyone's smiling faces for the first time in a while after the earthquake” and “I was able to get my daily life back.” The event was a great opportunity for not only evacuees but also people living in Kanazawa City to get to know the lives impacted by the disaster.

This NPO Partner Project will support the Small Cove Project in providing a gathering place. Additionally, to connect with evacuees who tend to be isolated, there is a plan to hold not only a permanent cafe but also temporary cafes through events.

After the disaster, the people of Noto had been meeting face-to-face and trying to overcome this great hardship together. However, as soon as they went outside of Noto, they all became separated.

People have been overwhelmed with anxiety and have no place for rest, and the Small Cove Project aims to create a space where people can rejoice in being reunited and safe, and where everyone can look at each other and smile.

Please continue to support Civic Force's response to the Noto Peninsula (Ishikawa) Earthquake to make a difference in these peoples' lives. Thank you.