Japan

PERIOD OF REPORT: 5th – 23rd Jun 2011

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS
Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture

BENEFICIARIES
Approximately 3,777 individuals and 2,330 households, and evacuees at 5 evacuation centers in the Ishinomaki area were reached by JEN’s activities during this period.

ACTIVITIES
1) Material Distribution
Deodorant and cleaning materials were distributed at 4 evacuation centers (Oshika Peninsula, Ayukawa, Omotehama, Higashihama) and at the Ogihama primary school on the 15th of June.
Items Distributed:
Strong Deodorant：20ℓ * 50 bottles (to be diluted 1/5)
Washing powder and Liquid：10ℓ
Bathwater additive：450g (to be diluted 1/5)
Spray：16 bottles

2) Sludge Removal Volunteer Dispatch
Supported by 1,499 volunteers, JEN removed rubble and sludge from a total of 165 houses in Watanoha area and Oshika Peninsula of Ishinomaki City.
The limited drainage system on the side of the roads in the city as well as the limited capacity of the public discharge pump station of Ishinomaki is severely affecting the lives of people in the coastal areas of Ishinomaki City, especially now as the rainy season has started.

For the safety of volunteers, JEN has increased the frequency and duration of breaks during the outdoor cleaning work so 10-minute breaks in every hour have been inducted. All of JEN’s volunteers are now divided into groups with a group leader experienced in sludge removal work. JEN has also secured the following to prepare for heat disorder in the summer: 1) salt, 2) cooler box, 3) water bottles, 4) sheets, 5) cooling pads, 6) mint oil, 7) tents, 8) plastic bags, 9) sport drinks, and 10) first-aid boxes.

3) Soup Kitchen Volunteer Dispatch
JEN has been providing hot meals for lunch to earthquake / tsunami victims taking shelter in their own houses. During this reporting period, JEN volunteers provided 3,585 hot meals to these evacuees. Since April when JEN started distributing meals, 20,642 meals have been provided.
At Nakayashiki Café where a daily soup kitchen service is provided, at least 3 community members volunteer in cooking, serving and cleaning on a daily basis.

4) Psychosocial Care through Community Café
JEN is providing community spaces called “Community Cafés” where evacuees can gather for activities and share their experiences as a form of psycho-social care. There are currently 3 places where activities have begun.

Nakayashiki Café
During this reporting period, a package of professional psycho-social activities has been provided, consisting of ‘relaxing touch’ massage, soft massage, and Yoga classes twice a week. 20 participants received the service on June 7, 15 and 21.

A facial treatment event was organized at this café inviting professional estheticians on June 8th, with 20 community members receiving the service.

Textile classes consisting of 10 students were held with the local women’s hobby group on the 22nd of June. This group used to gather at the public centre in this community until the building was swept away by the Tsunami. This was their first group-meeting after the earthquake.

Kazuma Café
JEN’s 2nd café (temporary) has been demolished by the house owner in the 2nd week of June. Thus, JEN is now building a prefabricated building as an alternative café in the park attached to this apartment.

Koganehama Cafe

This community centre, established with the collected donations from the surrounding community, has been chosen as the 3rd café.

Work on establishing the electrical wiring is contracted to a local electrician from the community, and is scheduled to begin on June 26th. Rehabilitation work on the walls, ceilings and windows will follow with the help of individual engineers from the community.

JEN will conduct a survey on community members with the help of a neighborhood community association.

5) Rubble Clearance through Assisting Local Waste Management Contractors
Ishinomaki City Council announced its plan to complete the debris removal from the urban area within a year and process the waste within 3 years. Current removal progress is 430,000 tons (at 7% progress) as of June 4th.
 

6) Assistance for People in Transitional Shelters
JEN distributed all immediate living items including bedding, clothing, kitchenware, hygiene materials etc. for 2,405 households at transitional temporary shelters in Ishinomaki City.

The city has begun or completed the construction of 5,386 transitional shelters to date.
Construction of 346 additional transitional shelters will be commenced with a progress of 67.3% of total requested numbers.

Cooperative shopping trips will be started in the first approximately 300 transitional shelters in Miyagi Prefecture from June 26th. This scheme could greatly help the lives of evacuees who lost their own transportation means.

7) Assistance of small to mid-size local businesses
JEN will begin projects to encourage the revitalization of small to mid-size local businesses over the next year. A thorough assessment of the small businesses in Ishinomaki City has been started.
 

8) Needs Assessment
Assessment on the living situation at all evacuation centres of Ishinomaki are ongoing using interview survey methodology. It will be completed in the first week of July.

9) Entertainment and Relaxation
・Invited ex-Olympic athlete and a physical therapist to host a stretching class at Kawakita Sougou Centre on June 13th. Evacuees from this centre from young to elderly participated and enjoyed the class.
・Organized a facial/ and massage and cosmetic distribution event inviting corporation volunteers in Oshika Community Centre of Oshika Peninsula on June 15th.
・Organized doll-making workshop with 22 primary school students and residents (the majority of them being evacuees) of Higashihama Primary School on June 16th.

・Organized an athletic class at Ishinomaki Kita High School used as an evacuee centre inviting professional circus members on the June 17th. 43 high school students as well as 14 primary students participated and enjoyed learning to juggle, balance, and gymnastics.

 ・Invited a group of professional hair dressers, massage therapists, and distributed donated cosmetic materials at Kawakita-Cho Nikkori Sun Park and Ooyubi Forestry Livelihood Improvement Centre on 21 June.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR INFORMATION
Ishinomaki City announced its victims of the earthquake reached 3,101 persons. The city is still holding 5,873 evacuees at 91 evacuation centres as of June 17th. To mourn, the city held a joint ceremony on June 18th. 2,500 people participated.