2018 Japan Floods
We are currently assisting evacuation centers in Mihara-shi, Hiroshima and Kurashiki-shi, Okayama. We will continue supporting the operations at the centers to ensure no one, particularly the elderly, is forgotten. The government and other NGOs are still assessing damages across the country, and clean-up is only beginning. Peace Winds is already planning for prolonged accommodations and calculating long-term recovery needs for the families whose homes were damaged or destroyed.
Peace Winds responded to the massive floods and landslides that devastated several prefectures in Western Japan after heavy rains struck on July 7 and 8. These prefectures are usually safe from natural disasters, with many people moving to these areas after the terrible 2011 earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan.
Over 200 people have died with dozens still missing. Millions were ordered to evacuate, and thousands are now in evacuation centers. Water systems remain shut down in several areas. An estimated one-quarter of Japan’s landmass suffered landslides. Experts are calling this disaster “an unprecedented event” that “only happens once every 50 years.”
Peace Winds immediately dispatched a search and rescue team and a medical team targeting two of the most severely damaged prefectures, Hiroshima and Okayama. We provided immediate relief to the victims in area evacuation centers, including food, water, medical and sanitation kits, bedding, and clothing.
