7 Nature Usagi Support Activity East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Report 5/26-5/31 Sendai-East Matsushima-Ishinomaki-Rikuzen Port-South Sanriku-Onagawa - OAK-to-all-relations　culture art platform

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7 Nature Usagi Support Activity East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Report

5/26-5/31 Sendai-East Matsushima-Ishinomaki-Rikuzen Port-South Sanriku-Onagawa

During our stay in the earthquake-struck Miyagi Prefecture, we were able to deliver relief supplies to about 20 families through a voluntary platform by receiving requests from individuals, groups and volunteers.

This volunteer platform is a newly launched website that provides matching service for finding and requesting relief goods and volunteers. People can get information of what kind of supplies the affected people need in real time. By registering and logging into the website, people can support the necessary supplies pinpointed from any location.

Volunteer platform

http://b.volunteer-platform.org/

(Japanese)

We posted the following information on the platform website.

"We have just arrived in Sendai with relief supplies including food, daily necessities, children's clothing, toys, stationery. We will stay here for one week and deliver relief goods to your place by car.

If there is anything you need, please contact us. 7Nature Usagi Team"

In about one hour after we posted the notice, we had received 12 phone calls.

We made sure what they needed through the phone and then delivered the goods to their houses or places where they are taking shelter.

These are the places we have delivered the goods to:

Nakazato 7-chome Ishinomaki City

Bibs, powder milk, diapers, food, toys

Motoyoshi, South-Sanriku Utatsu Port

Food, daily necessities, supplies, toys, clothes for children

Kofunakoshi Azashimoyachi

Food, seasonings, socks, soccer ball, pens

Okaido-minami, Ishinomaki City

Children's clothes, toys, food, daily commodities

Washinokami-hama, OnagawaTown

Food, rice, diapers, sanitary items, daily necessities

Koyo-cho, Ishinomaki City

Food, daily necessities, supplies, children clothing, toys

Ishihama, Onagawa Town

Food, daily necessities, supplies, clothing, toys

Kanomata, Ishinomaki City (8 families of mothers and children)

Children's clothing (kimono, Jinbei), stationery

Yamoto, East-Matsushima City

Food, stationery, clothing, soccer ball

Ooshio, East-Matsushima City

Mirror, hair dryer, daily necessities, food, toys, clothes for children

Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai City

Strollers, baby sling, books, toys, children clothing, diapers, wipes, food

Miyagino-ku, Sendai City (volunteer team by mothers)

Food, daily necessities, consumable supplies, Children's clothes, toys, candy, homemade masks, books, stationery.

Other places where we sent the goods to:

Yamada-cho, Iwate Prefecture

Food, daily necessities, consumable supplies, boots

Ootsuti, Kamihei-Gun, Iwate Prefecture

Food, daily necessities, consumable supplies, diapers, wipes

Wakuya-cho, Toda-gun, Miyagi Prefecture

Food, daily necessities, consumable supplies, reading glasses, and blanket.

Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture

Food, tea, calendar, hairdryer, reading glasses

Delivered daily necessities / consumable supplies:

Mosquito coil, soap, softener, shampoo / rinse, razors, sanitary items, diapers, bleach, etc.

Delivered food (only long-life ones)

Rice, retorts, cup noodles, vegetable juice, cans, spaghetti, sprinkled, Nori, candy, vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions), etc.

Every family we met has their own story. Some managed to rent a house to move out from the evacuation center but owned nothing, some have their own house but have never received any relief goods, some have lost the draw to move into the temporary house and have to share a small apartment with other families, and some can hardly get any support.

(The temporary houses are preferentially given to families whose houses have been completely destroyed and families with elderly or disability member. For all the other families, it’s decided by lot. It seemed the chance was quite few. We have also met a mother, whose husband was injured, and she wanted to go out working but their child is still young and they can't afford 30,000-Yen monthly fee for the daycare. Everyone in the area has their own difficulty. )

We were stunned by what we've seen from Ishinomaki to South-Sanriku, Kesennuma, Shizukawa, and Rikuzentakata area. Everything had been swallowed by the waves.

We've met a fisherman family at Rikuzen port, whose house is located on a hill. Everything around their house has been destroyed and they had been living in their house without electricity for 2 months until May 25. Water was stopped as well so they have to live on rainwater.

People are eking out their lives at places like this.

This is the large fisherman family we met at Rikuzen port. Their house is located on a 16-meter-high hill right in front of the port.
Sea level had risen 15 meters. They couldn't access the road and the electricity was finally reconnected on May 26. It seemed they had been living without electricity for more than two months. They still have to ply on the rescue vehicles for water and it seemed they had been using rainwater for bath. But everyone was so bright and already talked about starting fishing.

At the back of Onagawa port, a few families and their houses managed to survive from the waves and they are now living together and helping each other.
The whole town had been leveled by the waves and people are living under a severe condition.

Current status of Onagawa, recorded on 2011.5.29
http://youtu.be/IsVTO7y1j_A

These mothers are members of a group named "Baby Bonds Team" with members of young mothers who've been affected by the disaster.

Mothers from 10-15 families worked together to collect and exchange supplies.

Their houses are either destroyed or not safe to live, so they are sharing rooms or living in the evacuation center. Some people’s houses are only half destroyed and because of that, they are not able to get enough support. One mother said she wanted to work because her husband was injured, but it's impossible at the moment since she couldn't afford the 30,000-Yen monthly fee for daycare. They don't have any cosmetics items, either. When we passed them the new children clothes, kimono and Jinbei, which were donated by Choja machi- the town of fabric in Nagoya, their nervous faces turned to smiles and joy. "Can’t wait until summer to dress the kids in them." They said happily.

They need support until everything gets back on the track.
7 Nature Usagi Kids Relief Assistance Team will continue the support activities for a long term.

Donation of relief goods for children is continuously appreciated.
Thank you for your support and donation.

Relief goods we need:

Food (long-life ones such as retort food, rice, vegetable juice, etc.), daily consumables (soap, mosquito coil, diapers, wipes, fabric softener, bleach, shave (female, male), toilet paper, women's cosmetics, etc.), children's clothing, Baby products, toys, and stationery

Please send to

7 Nature Usagi Kids Relief Assistance Division

Room 103 Kaneta Building

Nishi Ochiai 4-12-8,

Shinjuku, Tokyo 161-0031

Tel: +81(0)80-3127-7476 or +81(0)90-1807-9707

Ask: Fujita,Chikyu

For inquiries: office@oak-to-all-relations.com or

jumping1972mouse@gmail.com

Support

The North Face, people in Choja machi, Nagoya, and every individual who has sent us the relief goods from inside and outside the country

7Nature Usagi -The North Face official website: