It has been a year since the Japan tsunami on March 11, 2011, if you do not already know. Because of this, World Vision (WV) invited Malaysia Asia to experience their ongoing efforts in the affected areas of the Tohoku region.

One Year Anniversary East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in the Tohoku region – Part One

Before getting to the first WV project area, we arrived at Ichinoseki, a lovely town with old-fashioned charm. Below are some pictures taken from the bus, hotel room, and streets of this beautiful little town.

 

The tsunami’s aftermath became evident as we approached the WV support area. I have seen many pictures of tsunami-affected regions, so I was surprised that seeing it in real life was an entirely different experience. I see piles of debris from cars, structures, the skeletal remains of buildings, and empty lots of land as far as the eye can see. Thoughts of what matters ran through my mind. Well, that would be another story another time. I want to share these photos for now.

 

 

After lunch on the bus, our first stop was at Kesennuma Fishery Cooperative (KFC), a WV livelihood recovery project. The fishing industry is responsible for 70% of the economy in the Kesennuma area. When the earthquakeand tsunami struck, the lifeblood of the fishing industry faltered even further. Families and children are badly affected. This prompted World Vision Japan (WVJ) to initiate the livelihood project to help revive the fishing industry.

 

The first support given by WVJ was to restore the freezer warehouse where fish dealers store the marine products. By mid-March, in a few days, all three freezers will be in the whole operation.A total of 3000 tons is the capacity of the three freezers, and this will benefit 26,000 people, directly and indirectly, in terms of rebuilding life after the tsunami.

In addition, WV has helped produce 40,000 stickers for a re-branding campaign. Dealers and distributors use these stickers when shipping their products to other parts of Japan.

Some of the equipment provided by WVJ for the Kesennuma Fishery Cooperatives is to complement the freezer warehouse and fish processing space. These items were forklifts and other machinery for moving goods around.

 

 

The plans for Kesennuma include establishing a team by both WVJ and KFC to improve the marketing, elevate the brand image of Swordfish, and expand the market to urban areas.

Later on the bus, I asked Ryoichiro Mochizuki, the Livelihood Recovery Project Team Leader, what government support has been given to this area. He explained, “WVJ will step in or help where the government cannot. The government builds temporary shelters. After Kesennuma, we proceeded to a WV Disaster Risk Reduction Project at Tsuya Primary School.

A designated evacuation centre after the tsunami, even though the school lacks electricity, access to information from TV or Radio and clean water. Hence, WVJ and the local municipality have collaborated to build wells in ten schools.

In some schools, the water quality still needs to be improved for drinking, and the quantity is small, so there will be ongoing efforts to improve the situation. Solar panels are also in the pipeline to prepare for a more viable environment during the disaster.

 

After our field trip, we had a chance after dinner to chat with Mitsuko Sobata, the communication officer for WVJ, about her experience during and after the tsunami and earthquake incidents.
Here is what inspired her the most, “…no one panicked and the resilience of the people.” Despite this, she added, “The people are worried that other countries will forget about what happened.

It will take many years to reconstruct the community entirely. Before phasing out, WVJ will ensure the local community can survive long-term.”

Ryoichiro Mochizuki also had similar thoughts concerning the people affected by the tsunami. He said, “The people do not ask too much. They try to be self-sufficient; I’m quite impressed.”

Conclusion

Please visit the official World Vision website if you wish to help and let these people know they are not forgotten. Remember to read Part Two of this story about the Year Anniversary observation of the East Japan Earthquake/Tsunami in the Tohoku region.