Relief work following the earthquake and tsunami
From May 16th to 19th, ten staff members from Impact Japan helped with relief work at Minamisanriku Town, one of the hardest hit areas of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that struck on 11 March 2011. For Impact Japan’s Yasushi Igarashi, this was his second volunteer stint.
'My first stint as an on-site volunteer was 10 days after the massive earthquake and tsunami. I spent a week helping sort and distribute goods to the victims. Getting there was a task itself as all roads and railway lines north of Tokyo were still closed, so I caught a flight to the nearest airport, still located a hundred kilometers away from the worst hit areas. Our group borrowed a space from a nearby factory and started to sort out supplies trucked in every day. We opened, sorted, repacked and reloaded onto trucks for delivery directly to the victims.
The bigger evacuation centers were well looked after by the Japan Self-Defense Force and the government, so our group focused on smaller shelters, or families and neighbors setting up their own temporary ones. Every morning, we loaded up vehicles full of goods to drive around, distribute the goods and report back on what is required for next day’s round of delivery. I was in charge of Kesennuma City, one of the port cities hit hardest by the earthquake, tsunami and fire. The hour long drive is eerie uneventful at first, but as you approach the coastline, you suddenly come across kilometers of endless devastation. And as you enter the city center, a huge refinery tank and a big ship swept in from the sea rest along a riverbank, and the smell of burning is in the air from the fire which swept through a neighborhood on the first night.
We would find new shelters set up every day, and our sources of finding them come from word-of-mouth, or simply finding a handmade sign along the road that reads “Shelter Here”. Most of the people only requested for the bare necessity if any, telling us to go to other places that are “in more need”. I was touched by these people who are under the most horrendous situation you can imagine, yet they have the heart to think about the others.
For my second stint, I was part of the group of Impact Japan staff who worked with the volunteer center set up by Minamisanriku Town another of the worst-hit areas. This time, we were fortunate to travel from Tokyo by motorway and rail. We did what was needed to do that day, and our staff was divided into two groups, one helping out sorting and packaging goods for distribution, and the second involving cleaning up parts of the town.
The goods donated were still coming in steadily, but this meant that there has to be an ongoing sorting and repackaging of goods for distribution. The cleanup crew removed sludge and refuge by hand at places which too small or too delicate for machineries. The volunteer center was doing their best sorting out the tasks, but it was up each individuals and groups to organize themselves to do specific work. All the tasks were very physically demanding, and we met many volunteers coming from all parts of Japan, taking time off from work and paying their own way, helping out because they want to do so.
However the volunteers including myself were overwhelmed everyday by acts of courage and unselfishness from the residents as well as their determination to rebuild from the disaster. We were inspired by children beaming with smile after receiving pencils and notebooks, and people helping us fix a flat tyre. In order to really be a help to them, we cannot be just be delivering goods or clean up, but take the time to get to know them, develop a strong relationship and help where it is needed the most.
The recovery efforts will take several years, and support to the communities will have to be on-going. Impact Japan is sending another group of staff in late June, and I am very proud that our company and staff have the willingness and commitment to continue volunteering time and donating resources to help the residents rebuild their lives and communities. I also think for our staff spending time together for this cause is an excellent way to build our team, and take the experience back to our workplace.'
Read more about Impact's Learning in the Community initiative.
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