Emergency Response to Western Japan Flood

After disasters, AAR Japan has mainly reached out for the most vulnerable groups who are usually left out without support, groups like People with special needs.
After the Western part of Japan was hit by the recent torrential rain and flooding, AAR Japan helped out with the restoration by providing the welfare facilities with daily necessities and other items necessary for the reopening of the facilities, such as computers and printers.

We are currently working on designing a restoration project to apply in the affected areas.

Making a progress towards recovery step by step:

“Okayama Mind Kokoro” is an NPO located in Mabi in Kurashiki City, Okayama.  This NPO was aiming to support people with special needs by running care homes, where they can live in comfort, as well as a brewery or a beer hall, where even the disabled can work.  “Okayama Mind Kokoro” believes that they can make Mabi village a comfortable place for everyone by offering space for interacting with each other, whether they are disabled or not.  However, when their project was well on its way, the recent floods destroyed the beer hall completely. Also the first floors of eight care homes were completely washed away with all the furniture inside.

Some of the residents in the care homes have found it difficlut to adapt to the radical change in the environment and many of them had to move to shelters where they face many difficulties.  Therefore, it is very important to get their original care homes re-opened as soon as possible. “Okyama Mind Kokoro” staff hurriedly cleaned the place in order for the residents to get back again. The home was temporarily re-opened on August first and residents who used to stay at a hospital were able to come back. There is a good chance that some companies will donate refrigerators and laundry machines.  However, the Brewery and beer halls that the residents found joy in working are still out of service and the re-opening day is not confirmed yet. Considering the time necessary for making barley into malt for local beet, the process of making barley needed for local beer (barely means making malt from beer), we will have to wait for another year if we can’t start it by this autumn.
AAR is considering providing and fixing the necessary equipment for this NPO to help them re-open and proceed with their services.

Mr.Shinji Tada, the represetative of Okayama Mind Kokoro
expressed his gratitude to the AAR emergency assistance team for attending to the needs of the residents and delivering goods.  He also expressed his firm determination by saying, “In the face of the harsh reality, we are steadily heading for restoring our facilities.  With the encouraging words from you, we promise that we will move forward.”

“If it happened to me”

Nima Elementary School, located in Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, was turned into a shelter. AAR cooperated with NPO called Peace Project from July 23rd to 25th to prepare meals for shelter’s residents for another 3 days (July 28th to 30).
Before preparing the meals we spread flyers about this news to the residents and got many positives feedbacks like “We have been looking forward to it!”
Contrary to the weather forecast that the approaching typhoon No.12 might do damage, everything went as we had planned. We gave 300 servings of seafood curry on the 28th and 250 servings of rice bowl with grated yam with fish soup, Natto, turnips and pickled cucumbers.

A lady in her 80s complained to us“ I am totally worn out just by having to stay in this gymnasium. Another man in his 60s said to us, “While being engaged in voluntary activities, I sometimes wonder ‘What if such a disaster would hit me?”
Mr.Kanzaki, the President of the Nima community, spoke about the necessity of support and advice of administration offices and support agencies so that the residents in Mabi can all come back and enjoy their lives the way they used to.

The residents of the shelters have been frustrated because they have been living there for weeks now and still do not know when will they go back home.
Ms.Mari Tanigawa (board of directors member), who used to be a marathon runner, offered a course on Marathon for the shelter’s residents. Peace Project also organized a Bingo competition in the shelter.
The residents were smiling, after enjoying light sports and recreation events.

AAR will continue to listen to the voices of the evacuees and deliver the aid they need. Thank you for your support.

Please donate and help us support the people of western Japan.

Picture 1: AAR staff Takumi Takagi (on the left) visiting the president of Okayama Mind Kokoro and listening to their needs while delivering oral rehydration solution, Rolls of toilet papers and baby diapers to him (Date:2018/7/24)

Picture 2: Ms. Mari Tanigawa, AAR Japan board of directors’ member, who visited the shelter on 7/28 and 7/29 is preparing meals with a local volunteer and setting the tables. Residents seemed to like the meals and lined up every time they prepared meals for them.

Picture 3: Ms. Tanigawa is warming up the Bingo competition (in the middle). On the left is Mr. Ben Kato the representative of Peace Project and also a member of AAR board of directors. (2018/7/29)

More than a week has passed since the flood and landslide hit western Japan. The midsummer heat has continued since the heavy rain stopped, and on July 14, it recorded a maximum temperature of 36 degrees Celsius. There are still about 2,890 people living in evacuation centers in Okayama prefecture, where 16,430 houses are without running of water, roads and railways still not fully restored (according to the announcement of Okayama prefecture on 15th July). The hard days continue for those affected.

Browned city, smell of sludge

The landscape of lush greenery on the way from Kurashiki station to Mabi-cho district changes drastically after crossing the bridge over the tributary of Takahashi River. Roads, grass fields, signs, and walls of houses. Everything is browned with mud, such as. The traffic lights are not completely recovered, and in some places, the police officers were handling the traffic with hand signals. Muddy rubble, brought out of the houses, was piled neatly on both sides of the road. When we opened the car window, there was smell of sludge. According to the neighbors, the smell seems getting worse day by day as the heat gets tenser.

More comfort for the evacuees
Living conditions of evacuation centers are gradually improving. To prevent people from disuse syndrome, physical therapists of the Japan Disaster Rehabilitation Assistance Team (JRAT) started exercises regularly at Niman Elementary School Evacuation Center in Kurashiki-City. Air conditioners were installed not only in the gymnastic hall, but also in the classrooms used for evacuees who are in need of nursing care. As for the laundry, people had been forced to wash by hands, but now it became much easier as three washing machines were brought in.

However, there are many people, who go out during daytime to chek on their houses, and come back utterly discouraged after seeing only a heap of debris. Many volunteers, gathering from all over Japan during the consecutive holidays, will be of much help for the elderly who fell already exhausted to clean their houses.

Various relief supplies have arrived in the afflicted areas, but there are still things that are in urgent need. AAR will continue to deliver soup kitchens and distribute items that are wanted in shelters and welfare centers, while listening to the voices of evacuees.

Please donate and help us support the people of western Japan.