This report was compiled and edited based on a report from Pastor Toshio Miura, who traveled to Kumamoto to provide support to the victims of the earthquake. Let us keep the victims in our thoughts and continue to pray for them.
Contributor of this report: Pastor Toshio Miura, pastor of the Tsurukawadai Church, United Churches of Christ in Japan. Board member of the General Incorporated Association Crash Japan.
Current Situation and Challenges
Region
- This time, the Yatsushiro area—located at the center of the Hinagu Fault, which lies south of the Futagawa Fault—experienced severe shaking. Residents in this region reported that the tremors felt far stronger than those experienced 10 years ago.
- The areas of Uki, Ryuhoku, Hikawa, Kagami, Sencho, and Yatsushiro were particularly hard hit.
Volunteers
- A great deal of support, including portable toilets and water trucks, is being provided from other prefectures.
- LOVE EAST is serving shaved ice, thinking of everyone enduring the heat. At the same time, a team from a painting company in Noto has installed temporary showers, which are a great help to local residents.
- Volunteer Information: Kumamoto Social Welfare Council https://www.fukushi-kumamoto.or.jp/kvc/
- Damage Information: Cabinet Office https://www.bousai.go.jp/…/r8kumamoto…/status/index.html
Moving Forward
- May local needs be identified and volunteers be dispatched. → A system for recruiting and dispatching volunteers based on the workload is being established and is beginning to take shape. Both the Social Welfare Council and government offices have already started this process.
- May support reach those who have not come to evacuation centers, such as the elderly.
- Support should reach farmers who cultivate “igusa” (rush grass). → Most of Japan’s “igusa” is produced in the Yatsushiro area, and the farmers there have been severely impacted. Farmers who grew igusa, wove it into tatami mats, and turned it into finished products have lost their workshops and machinery and are now struggling to get back on their feet.
Prayer Topics
- For the victims in Uki, Ryuhoku, Hikawa, Kagami, Senjo, and Yatsushiro, where the damage was particularly severe.
- That water service be restored as soon as possible. That the inconveniences regarding toilets and bathing be resolved.
- For the staff at local government offices and social welfare councils. That systems for distributing relief supplies and dispatching volunteers for cleanup efforts be established.
- That local needs be identified as quickly as possible. That the necessary supplies and volunteers be provided to meet those needs.
- For the farmers in Igusa, primarily in the Yatsushiro area, who have suffered damage. That they may be given the strength to get back on their feet.
- That care be provided for those who are difficult to reach, such as the elderly and people living alone, who cannot come to evacuation centers.
- That those engaged in daily relief efforts on the ground may be supported. Also, that relief personnel may be provided.
Items currently believed to be needed
- Thanks to support from various relief organizations, supplies such as water and blue tarps appear to be sufficient.
- Items that have been well-received by local residents and are felt to be necessary include cooling wipes (which feel cool on the skin) and disinfectant wipes (which are especially helpful in situations where water is scarce).
- Food supplies, such as cup noodles, are still needed, as there are areas where food is in short supply.
- The situation is changing by the minute, so it is necessary to monitor updated information from the disaster-stricken areas.
