Responding to the Typhoon Hagibis disaster that hit the eastern part of Japan from the Kanto Region, including Tokyo, to the Tohoku Region with record-breaking rain and wind, the Japan NPO Center (JNPOC) as an infrastructure organization, is planning to support one of the following three areas: 1. Equipment purchase/repair for NPOs damaged by the disaster, 2. Supporting NPO activities helping disaster-affected areas, and/or 3. Supporting disaster volunteer centers.
For NPOs whose equipment was damaged by flooding, repairs and replacements impose an extra financial burden. Aside from NGOs specializing in emergency relief, regular NPOs are also helping out the affected areas. Acting out of good intentions, they are covering all the expenses, which will not be compensated. Also disaster volunteer centers, which coordinate relief supplies and volunteers, are currently operating in 90 locations but lacking experienced coordinators and need support in this area.
With this daunting situation, JNPOC as an infrastructure organization, will conduct the followings to provide relief: 1. Supporting equipment purchase/repair for NPOs damaged by the disaster. 2. Supporting NPO activities helping disaster-affected areas. 3. Supporting disaster volunteer centers through the Joint Committee for Coordinating and Supporting Voluntary Disaster Relief Activities, a network of enterprises, NPOs, social welfare councils and community chests, providing logistic support.
This packaged and multifaceted organizational support will be a model to be replicated in disaster relief efforts in the future.