Wednesday, March 23, 2011

JEN sent its third team to Miyagi Prefecture, where they joined other teams conducting surveys of the northern part of the prefecture. In addition to JEN’s ongoing efforts in Sendai, they are planning to expand their efforts to this hard-hit northern area that has not yet received much relief. Although road repairs are being carried out quickly in order to increase access to more areas, there are still many places that are cut off. A truckload of supplies was headed for Iwaki (Fukushima Prefecture), a town that had not received expected relief supplies due to the nuclear disaster. The fact that a number of town halls and other government buildings were destroyed in the disaster has made the distribution and coordination of aid challenging.

rpt1103_603_1careplanAAR Japan is providing relief items in Sendai, Ishinomaki, and Higashi Matsushima and is coordinating with other organizations to help support people with disabilities affected by the disaster. They received a call from Care Plan Center SLL, a Sendai-based welfare organization that assists the elderly and people with disabilities. Since the quake, the center has been helping those unable to move to shelters (the elderly, those with disabilities, families with infants, etc.), but has run out of resources. AAR Japan’s Emergency Relief Team responded right away by bringing food to the center.

kerosenePeace Winds Japan staff is continuing to track the needs for assistance in Kesennuma (Miyagi Prefecture), Rikuzentakata, and Ofunato (Iwate Prefecture) and will expand their work to Minamisanriku (Iwate Prefecture) as well. On the 23rd, a truckload of donations from Nagano Prefecture arrived and were distributed in Minamisanriku. Items included diapers, formula, baby bottles and food, water, juice, sanitary items, tissues, toilet paper, towels, etc. Because many evacuees still do not have heat, they will also distribute 510 kerosene stoves and kerosene in Minamisanriku from the 24th.

All local medical facilities in Rikuzentakata were destroyed in the earthquake, and since then the Prefectural Takata Hospital’s medical staff has been struggling to handle the treatment of all patients with acute illnesses or injuries. Teams from throughout Japan have arrived to help them out, dividing up responsibility for different areas and giving the local staff some rest. NICCO‘s team, which was sent from Chiba Prefecture’s Asahi Hospital, began providing mobile medical treatment services in Otomo from the 22nd, and this service will be ongoing.