Ishikawa Earthquake Relief Week 4: Managing Evacuation Center Operations

January 24, 2024

Three elderly Japanese evacuees sit at a table, smiling and waving to the camera while holding oranges. A Peace Winds staff member in a red jacket stands at the end of the table, smiling and holding a box of oranges

Peace Winds ARROWS staff and evacuation center residents

Four weeks after the New Year’s Day earthquake in Japan’s Noto Peninsula, thousands of people are displaced from their homes. Utilities, including water and electricity, are still cut off in many areas, and the damage to roads makes it difficult to deliver aid.

Peace Winds’ emergency response team, ARROWS, has been helping to operate one evacuation center in Suzu City, a local high school that is being used as a temporary shelter. From planning the layout and setting up tents to procuring and delivering supplies, Peace Winds is working with residents and the local government to provide shelter to those in need.

Because the high school will be reopening soon, evacuees here will be moving to a nearby nursery school. This week, ARROWS began clearing out the space to accommodate those who choose to move to the new location. Designing evacuation centers that meet residents’ needs includes arranging spaces for families to sleep together, clearing a room for pets, and allowing those in need of extra care to stay close to bathrooms.

Staff members in red jackets unzip blue pop-up tents in a large room that looks like a school gymnasium

Setting up tents at evacuation center

Two rows of blue tents and cardboard boxes of supplies

Setting up tents and supplies at evacuation center

In preparation for the move, ARROWS is setting up the nursery school with tents, partitions, and beds and stocking the building with the everyday items residents will need to live comfortably. Our teams are also conducting orientations for local staff who will soon take over management of the new evacuation center. The group has formed a committee with individuals in charge of each area of operation, and ARROWS is instructing them on how to manage responsibilities such as daily schedules, food and supplies, garbage, and cleaning tasks.

While the nursery school is smaller than middle and high schools in the area, ARROWS has set up a common space where evacuees can eat and socialize with one another. The sense of community in Suzu City remains strong, and Peace Winds is proud to support not only residents’ physical health, safety, and hygiene but also their mental and social wellness.

Although Peace Winds is handing over the community center’s operations, ARROWS teams will remain on the ground working to meet the ongoing needs of survivors. Peace Winds’ continuing relief efforts include medical care, delivery of food and essential supplies, and distribution of purified water for drinking and bathing. We are committed to maintaining our presence over the long-term in the Noto Peninsula to help rebuild the disaster-affected communities.

You can read Peace Winds’ past blog updates to learn more about our activities for earthquake survivors in Japan. If you haven’t yet made a donation and would like to do so, please click the links below. Peace Winds is grateful for all the donations and kind words of support we continue to receive, and we especially want to thank the United States-Japan Foundation for generously matching all donations up to $25,000 made through their fundraiser. We appreciate your continued support.