The reality of what we witnessed at that time. What has kept us going this past decade.
We take a look back on the 2011 disasters in Tohoku through the thoughts of those who were involved in the relief effort.
The reality of what we witnessed at that time. What has kept us going this past decade.
We take a look back on the 2011 disasters in Tohoku through the thoughts of those who were involved in the relief effort.
As the helicopter neared the disaster zone, we were met by the most unimaginable scenes. When we landed on the ground, we came across droves of people huddled in evacuation shelters and others still searching for missing loved ones amid the sludge-coated rubble that surrounded them.
Immediately we set about delivering relief supplies to the thousands of disaster-struck people we met.
Ten years have passed since that fateful day on March 11, 2011. Although sometimes frustrated by our own shortcomings, we have been able to carry on providing a variety of support right through to this day. We have helped reopen stores and fisheries businesses, held study programs for children, provided shelter for pets in the area affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and created spaces for community activities.
This has all been possible because of you. Each and every one of you has placed your trust and belief in us and supported our activities. We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks.
Based on the experiences and lessons learned from operating in the disaster-stricken areas of Tohoku, Peace Winds has been working hard to strengthen its support team so that we can continue to save as many lives as possible, as soon as possible. We will continue to work alongside all of you to prepare for future disasters that could occur anytime, anywhere. We look forward to your continued support and cooperation.
Daily life in the Tohoku region is shaken to the core by a devastating Magnitude 9 earthquake
Peace Winds made the decision to swiftly provide support in the immediate aftermath of the disasters, entering the tsunami-affected area along the Sanriku coast the very next day. After distributing essential relief supplies, we began to provide livelihood support and psychological care to local residents as they moved from emergency shelters to temporary housing.
Needs assessments and distribution of relief suppliesSanriku Coast
We delivered about 160 tons of supplies, including food, heating equipment, bedding, sanitary products, and clothing, to about 20,000 people at evacuation shelters and other locations, mainly in the Sanriku coastal area where a survey undertaken by helicopter had determined it would be difficult for aid to reach.
Delivering various emergency aid to the regionKesennuma/Oshima
In Kesennuma, phone lines and communications masts were down for a week after the disasters, meaning little progress was made in confirming the safety of residents. We helped locate those who were missing by providing a satellite phone and cell phone charging service via a portable generator. We also dispatched a medical doctor to the remote island of Oshima and distributed boxes of toys to 40 evacuation shelters and held movie screenings at 19 locations.
Distribution of supplies to residents in temporary housingSouthern part of Iwate Prefecture
Peace Winds provided bedding, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, and so on, to almost 23,000 people who had moved into 8,588 temporary housing facilities and privately rented homes across nine municipalities in southern Iwate Prefecture. In addition, heating equipment was distributed to 7,590 households to counter the impact of the cold weather for those in temporary housing.
Support for the reopening of fishing cooperatives and chambers of commerceRikuzentakata / Ofunato / Minamisanriku
Believing that rebuilding industry is crucial for recovery, we supported fisheries cooperatives and chambers of commerce in the affected region by delivering office supplies and computers, and so on, to enable them to resume business. We provided 21 mobile vending trucks to the chambers of commerce in Rikuzentakata City, Ofunato City, and Minamisanriku Town. In Rikuzentakata City, we facilitated shopping at local stores and access to medical facilities through the operation of a bus, which connected evacuation shelters and temporary housing with hospitals and supermarkets, and the distribution of vouchers for use at local stores. In Minamisanriku, in addition to the construction of a temporary office for the fisheries cooperative, we provided apparatus for surveying the fishing grounds, while in Ofunato, we supplied ice machines and sorting machines necessary for shipping locally caught fish.
Caring for the heartKesennuma / Rikuzentakata
In order to alleviate stress caused by the separation from loved ones and life in evacuation shelters, we offered programs such as the "Art & Sports Caravan," which toured 27 locations in Kesennuma and Rikuzentakata, and "Moving Forward," which introduced games and other physical activities. Over a six-month period, more than 2,500 children participated in the program. In addition, we supported the creation of a community-wide environment to support children by holding events where parents and elderly people living in temporary housing could gather to discuss their concerns, while also convening training and study sessions for teachers and social workers.
Supporting Farmers in FukushimaFukushima Prefecture
To support farmers affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, we organized the "Fukushima Support Fruit Delivery" program, selling Fukushima-grown produce such as peaches, grapes, pears, and apples whose radiation levels were certified as being in line with the government-set standard.
From around 2012, when residents were settling down in temporary housing, Peace Winds shifted its support focus to strengthening local communities in preparation for reconstruction. In addition to supporting the resumption of commerce and alsofishing, we have been working to support children and bolster disaster preparedness.
Support for the restoration of shopping areasMinamisanriku
For the 325 stores that have reopened in temporary shopping areas in Minamisanriku and elsewhere, we provided support through the local chamber of commerce to cover the costs of these stores' interior work and equipment purchases. In addition, we set up a common area within the Minamisanriku shopping arcade that serves as a conference room and a place for relaxation
Livelihood support for fisheries industriesMinamisanriku
In cooperation with the fisheries cooperative in Minamisanriku, Peace Winds provided 26 sets of equipment required for wakame seaweed cultivation, as well as equipment and storage for salmon hatcheries. By the end of 2012, we had provided 550 fishermen with oars and other equipment needed to fish for abalone and sea urchins.
Support for ChildrenMinamisanriku
In Minamisanriku Peace Winds provided a place of learning for children, who will ultimately shoulder much of the responsibility for revitalizing the town. Adults in the town acted as educators teaching about local history, traditions and jobs, and with the cooperation of companies located outside the town, courses were offered to learn about a variety of subjects, such as science and finance. There was also a project for children to enjoy exercising with athletes, and 639 children participated in some 50 events over a one-year period from the summer of 2012. We also supported a musical exchange between children involved in theater in the disaster area and children in Shikoku, western Japan, and the fruits of their labor were put on show during a performance in Tokyo.
Support to bolster disaster preventionHirota (Rikuzentakata) Namie/Naraha (Fukushima Prefecture) Minamisanriku (Miyagi Prefecture)
Since late 2012, we have been assisting a voluntary disaster prevention association in Hirota, Rikuzentakata, to create a booklet recording the 2011 disasters in order to enhance disaster preparedness in the community in preparation for future disasters. We also installed solar-powered street lights for crime prevention purposes in Namie and Naraha townships, Fukushima Prefecture, and in Minamisanriku (Miyagi Prefecture).
Protecting pets affected by the nuclear disasterFukushima Prefecture
In cooperation with partner organizations, we took care of dogs and cats affected by the nuclear incidents in Fukushima Prefecture. We also looked for foster homes for the pets and supported the construction of shelters and lent horses to participate in an ancient festival in Soma.
Support for the revitalizing the region
In order to revitalize the area through the rediscovery of its charms, we held a series of events called "Rias World" in collaboration with Asawa, a non-profit organization active in Kesennuma. More than 200 people participated in 20 events held under themes such as "play," "experience," and "food. We also provided support for the revival of traditional crafts in Tohoku that had been affected by the disasters, by participating in trade fairs and operating a multipurpose medical helicopter.
In order to promote the local citizen-led reconstruction of the affected areas, we have been supporting the management of local NPOs that are working on community revitalization. Reconstruction is still ongoing and we will continue to provide appropriate support to this end.
Tourism Promotion SupportKesennuma
Since late 2012, Peace Winds has been supporting the launch of Peace Nature Lab, a non-profit organization based in Kesennuma that works to revitalize the community through food and nature tourism experiences. In 2015 we completed a facility that can be used as a base for tourism and exchange. A cafe there sells fare made from local ingredients, while a washing area has also been set up on the wooden deck outside for use during nature experience programs, allowing visitors to prepare and cook their freshly caught seafood on the spot.
Support activities for the elderlyMinamisanriku
In order to alleviate the anxiety of the elderly and give them a much-needed fillip, the town of Minamisanriku has constructed a base for hobbies and other activities. In cooperation with "VIVA! Minamisanriku," a non-profit organization established by local residents, more than 300 workshops were held in 2014 and 2015 alone, with a total of 3,000 participants. We will continue to provide this support in order to ensure senior members in the community continue to have opportunities to interact with one another.
Support for those relocating from FukushimaFukushima Prefecture
Since 2013, we have been conducting assessments on the relocation of evacuees who have had difficulty returning to their homes in Fukushima due to the nuclear power plant situation. We have also been supporting the re-settling and employment of residents who have relocated to Hiroshima Prefecture.
Support for victims of the Hiroshima landslide disaster
Relief for victims of Nepal earthquake
Support for the victims of the Kumamoto earthquake
Helping people return to daily lifeMinamisanriku
As the recovery gradually progressed, we continued to provide support to local residents to help them return to their daily lives, including the rebuilding and reopening of the Minamisanriku San-San shopping mall, which had been devastated by the tsunami. In addition, Peace Winds was chosen as a recipient of donations for the "Reconstruction Support Photo Contest," which was held to build hope for recovery in the affected area.
Support for victims of flooding in northern Kyushu
Support to help motivate the elderlyMinamisanriku
Together with the NPO "VIVA! Minamisanriku," we aimed to expand opportunities for 4,200 senior residents, including the delivery of work orders from remote areas. In addition, donations from a reconstruction assistance project instigated by five overseas automakers were used for community revitalization activities for the elderly.
Commemorative eventTokyo
To mark the seventh anniversary of the disasters a commemorative event was held in Tokyo to share the thoughts and feelings of the people in the disaster area and gain the support of the many people who attended.
Support for victims of flooding in Western Japan
Emergency relief following the earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia
Support for earthquake victims in Hokkaido
Emergency relief following earthquake in Sulawesi, Indonesia
Support for flood victims in Kyushu
Support for victims of typhoon #15 in Japan
Support for victims of typhoon #19 in Japan
Organization of helicopter support activities that have been going on for some years
In order to rescue as many people as possible as quickly as possible during a disaster, we have continued to provide emergency disaster support by helicopter. However, in order to build an even more effective system, we implemented the organization of an airborne search and rescue team called "ARROWS."
Disaster prevention awareness support
During the nine years since the Tohoku disasters struck, Peace Winds has been providing a variety of disaster prevention support based on the experience we have gained through our activities in the disaster-affected areas. Among them are disaster prevention lectures in areas that could be affected by disasters in the future and cooperation in the development of the Yahoo! disaster prevention app "Disaster Map" by the ARROWS search and rescue team.
Collaboration with more than 1,800 companies
In addition to cash donations, we have received support from companies and organizations in 1,800 projects, which range from the donation and transportation of goods to the dispatch of volunteers immediately after the earthquake and the holding of movie screenings and lectures during the recovery period.
A decade of support with your help
Ten years have passed since we began our support activities in the Tohoku region and to date Peace Winds has received more than 8,500 donations to support the victims of the disasters there. Thanks to your kindness, Peace Winds has been able to deliver the support needed at each stage along the way, from the emergency phase at the start to the recovery and reconstruction phases that followed.
Due to a sense of our own inadequacies that we often felt on the ground in the disaster-stricken areas and our continual questioning of what more we can do to make a difference, with your help we will continue to work on strengthening our preparedness for future disasters. We will work on disaster prevention and disaster mitigation activities and support to connect past memories and experiences to make ourselves and others better prepared for future disasters. Additionally we aim to reduce the risk of disasters by raising awareness of mutual help and disaster prevention in various communities.
By working together we can be better prepared to help save lives.
It's impossible to know when or where a disaster will strike. For the sake of all of us and our loved ones, it's our hope that each and every one of us will keep this in mind and prepare for that eventuality. Peace Winds will continue to support activities whose aim is disaster mitigation and protecting as many lives as possible.
Profile
Randy Martin is a global humanitarian response specialist. He arrived in Tohoku just days after 3-11 and remained in Japan for four years, channeling resources and technical support to Japanese NGOs from relief through recovery.
I appraised Peace Winds' strategy of working alongside local partners
Randy MartinPeace Winds America Member of the board of directors
Randy Martin of Mercy Corps reflects on his work with Peace Winds following the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan in March 2011. Among his recollections of his 4.5 years in Japan, Randy recalls his first contact with the disaster region, the market-based approach to recovery that was implemented in partnership with Peace Winds and their joint efforts to get the local wakame (seaweed) industry back into operation. Randy also appraises Peace Winds' strategy of working alongside local partners in order to realize community-based projects that have gone a long way to supporting recovery over the decade since the disasters.
Profile
Jin Sato was born in Minamisanriku Town. After serving as a member of the Shizugawa Town council and mayor of Shizugawa, he became the first mayor of Minamisanriku following the merger of Shizugawa and Utatsu townships in 2005. He is currently in his fourth term of office. At the time of the 2011 disasters, he was engaged in official duties when the town hall was engulfed by the tsunami, but survived.
Connecting Lessons Learned and Gratitude
Striving toward becoming a town that will never again lose a life to a tsunami
Jin SatoMinamisanriku mayor
On March 11, I was on the roof of the disaster prevention office building with other employees of the town hall. The tsunami surpassed the breakwater and came in one after another, sending up a cloud of dust.
In the blink of an eye, the waves swept up to the rooftops and swallowed us up in the muddy waters. There are no words to describe how I felt at daybreak when I endured the shivering cold and stared out at the town, now just a sea of rubble.
In the chaos of the immediate aftermath of the disaster, when everyone was fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs, the people of Peace Winds, along with various support groups, reached out to us as we strived to move forward, saying, "Those of us who survived must do something." I still remember how reassuring they were, never refusing to offer any kind of support and saying, "We will do whatever we can to help."
For 10 years, we have continued to move forward in an attempt to build a town where no one will ever lose their life to a tsunami again. It was a decade that was supported by the strength of many people.
Profile Shinya Chiba was born in Minamisanriku, and joined the Utatsu Fisheries Cooperative (present-day Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative) in 1974. He was head of the Utatsu branch office at the time of the 2011 disasters and was instrumental in the revival of the fisheries cooperative office and other facilities immediately after the disaster to ensure the early resumption of local fisheries, a major industry in the region.
Just when the future of the local fisheries industry looked uncertain, along came a helping hand.
The tsunami that day was like nothing I had ever seen before, with a completely different force. Everything was swept away, and right after the disasters it was all we could do just to live one day at a time, let alone think about what direction the fishing industry was going to take. So the fishermen started to move away from the sea in search of work.
That's when Peace Winds came to us and said, "Please let us set up wakame seaweed farming." Since we still weren't ready to restart fishing operations, we immediately ordered all the necessary equipment for seeding and processing wakame seaweed and were able to get all the facilities up and running very quickly.
It was impossible to restore the port 100 percent to its original state, but we were able to bring it back to the current level in 10 years. We couldn't have done it by ourselves, so I can only say that I am grateful to those who lent their support.
Profile Yukie Saijo was born in Minamisanriku and her family's seafood store was washed away by the tsunami. At the time of Tohoku disasters she was a member of the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers in Paraguay, but returned to Minamisanriku and joined Peace Winds in May 2011. Since then she has been in charge of the Tohoku emergency relief and recovery effort.
I felt I had to do something for the town where I was born and raised.
When I came back to Minamisanriku from Paraguay after the disasters, I found a landscape that bore no resemblance to the town I grew up in. So when I saw an opening for a local support officer at Peace Winds, I felt it was a job that I was uniquely qualified to do.
The first thing I was involved in was rebuilding the Shizugawa Port Fisheries Cooperative offices. I was delighted to be able to help restore, even if only gradually, what had been a vibrant cornerstone of Minamisanriku before the disasters.
After the initial emergency period, I had the truly gratifying experience of a deep, 10-year involvement supporting the people of Tohoku on the ground in the disaster-stricken areas. This included conducting extracurricular classes for the very children who will be responsible for the future regeneration of the community, to let them realize the good things about the area, as wel as activities centered around creating spaces where the elderly could find enjoyment in their lives.
Please share your experiences of the Tohoku disasters on social media via #Tohoku10years.
What are your recollections of that day in March 2011? Your contribution will be a powerful force in raising awareness of disaster prevention.
