PEACE WINDS JAPAN One Year Report
for the Great East Japan Earthquake (17.04.2012)

PEACE WINDS JAPAN 9th Month Report
for the period from March 11 to Dec. 11, 2011

PEACE WINDS JAPAN Sixth Month Report
for the period from March 11 to Sept. 11, 2011

PEACE WINDS JAPAN Fifth Month Report
for the period from March 11 to the end of July, 2011

PEACE WINDS JAPAN Three Month Report
for the period from March 11 to June 10, 2011

Various parts of the Pacific coastline of Northern Japan were devastated by the largest earthquake ever recorded in Japanese history at 2:46 pm on Friday, March 11th, and the tsunami which followed soon after. Upon receiving the news, Peace Winds Japan (hereafter PWJ) immediately decided to take action, and the next day the staff started on their way to the damaged areas. On March 12th they went to Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture. On the 13th we observed the damage in Ishinomaki City and Kesennuma City. Along with the general destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami, we saw that many people had lost their homes, and in evacuation centers they were struggling to obtain basic necessities such as food and water. Upon observing these conditions, we decided to start helping the victims in Kesennuma City.

As of April 11th PWJ has expanded its area of operations to include Sanriku Town in Miyagi, Ofunato City in Iwate, and Rikuzentakata City also in Iwate. We started with distribution of emergency items. Now we are working on building temporary bathing facilities for evacuation centers in need. On April 9th, we provided daily necessary items for those moving into the first temporary housing units completed in Rikuzentakata City. Also, we understand the need for mid to long-term support, especially for the children who have had a lot of difficult experiences due to this earthquake and tsunami. We have started activities to give them a place to play. We are planning both fun and serious support, including providing training to those who engage in teaching children.

We have received donations and messages from companies and from individuals all around Japan and the world. We will use these donations to continue our relief operations. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will continue to give periodic updates on our activities and usage of donations.

We at PWJ will work our hardest to continue our support and hope for a fast recovery.

Reported Date: April 11th, 2011

After the March 11th earthquake occurred, based on our field surveys in the affected areas, we decided to start our emergency relief operations in Kesennuma City. We soon began procurement of emergency relief goods and transported them by air and land, and on March 14th we started to distribute them in Kesennuma. Because cellular phones were not working in the affected areas, we offered free satellite telephone services for the victims. Furthermore, after cellular phone services were restored, we offered cellular phones' battery charging services. On March 18th, based on new data and field research, we expanded our emergency relief operations and distributed emergency relief items in Rikuzentakata City and Ofunato City in Iwate. On March 20th, we also distributed essential goods in Minamisanriku City in Miyagi prefecture.

The goods we have distributed are listed as follows:

Food: Bread, pre-cooked rice, fruit, water, powdered milk, coffee, fishcake, snacks, etc.
Items to provide warmth: Stoves, kerosene, blankets, nursing mats, mattresses, etc.
Sanitary items: Masks, baby wipes, towels, feminine hygiene products, diapers, emergency toilets, laundry soap, etc.
Clothes: Undershirts, diapers, jerseys, female and male underwear, T-shirts, socks, etc
Other items: Emergency tents, gasoline, plastic tanks, blue sheets, portable stoves with cans of fuel, etc.

And on March 28th, we started building temporary bathing facilities at an evacuation center in Takonoura Fishing Village in consultation with Ofunato City Office. We used the materials available to us in the area with PWJ providing additional items, and worked together with local people. In addition to that, beginning on April 6th, we started to support the children living in evacuation centers in Kesennuma City by playing together with them. We are currently working on providing packs of toys to them. The next day, April 7th, we also started showing movies. We are planning to provide some training to those who engage in teaching children, such as school teachers.

Along with our work in the aforementioned evacuation centers, PWJ has also decided to provide daily use items for the families moving into temporary housing in Iwate. On April 9th, we provided kitchen items and sanitary goods to 36 families moving into the newly-completed temporary housings in Rikuzentakata City. We are coordinating with city offices in charge to provide necessary items to approximately 2,000 families in Ofunato City, about 4,000 families in Rikuzentakata City, and in the future around 5,000 families in Kamaishi City.

In preparation for potential large-scale earthquake disasters that may occur in the future, PWJ strengthened its cooperation with municipalities and companies.  In March 2006, PWJ executed a Natural Disaster Relief Agreement with Katsushika Ward in Tokyo on condition that PWJ uses large tents called “Balloon Shelters” to support victims in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes directly hitting the Tokyo metropolitan area. In May, PWJ also executed a similar agreement with Setagaya Ward in Tokyo, and later PWJ participated in emergency drills conducted in these wards as well as Fukuroi City in Shizuoka Prefecture. PWJ had previously executed an agreement with Fukuroi City. PWJ proposed the utilization of Balloon Shelters to Nippon Oil Corporation a company interested in support operations in times of natural disaster. The company introduced Balloon Shelters, and subsequently in January 2007, executed a Natural Disaster Relief Agreement with Kawasaki City, where the company’s factory is located.