2024 Ishikawa (Noto) Earthquake & Rain Response

One year after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, 504 deaths have been confirmed and two people are still missing. Still reeling from this tragedy, record rainfall in the area in September caused flooding and landslides leading to six more deaths. Throughout this time Civic Force continues to assist the affected people and our NPO Partner Projects are supporting local organizations. Please read below introducing two of our Partner Projects.

Noto Sasaeru

Noto Sasaeru is a group of volunteers whose members are based in the "Heart House" group home for people with disabilities in Kanazawa City. After the January earthquake, they announced that they would accept people with disabilities and their families who have difficulty living in evacuation shelters. They provide consultations and temporary care for people involved in welfare for people with disabilities.

In October an NPO Partner Project was launched to provide dental care at home for people with disabilities and the elderly, mainly in Wajima City and Suzu City. There were few dentists and dental clinics in the Oku-Noto region even before the earthquake, but the situation has become even more serious since the flooding disaster. As an increasing number of victims find themselves unable to receive medical treatment, the project works with doctors from within and outside Ishikawa Prefecture to visit people who have difficulty going to the dentist.

The project also involves regular visits to temporary housing in Suzu City, and is committed to preventing the isolation of disaster victims. Noto Sasaeru will continue to hold regular events and dispatch volunteers to identify people in the so-called "gray zone" - those who show characteristics of developmental disorders but do not meet all of the diagnostic criteria - and those suspected of having dementia to connect them to appropriate support.

Many of the victims are living in temporary housing, but some were forced to move into housing complexes different from the people in their previous neighborhoods. Some people tend to stay at home due to the confusion and stress of building new relationships in a completely different environment. There is a continuing shortage of support staff making it difficult to provide detailed care, and there have already been cases of people dying alone in temporary housing. Therefore, an immediate response is required.

Tomoe

Tomoe runs the "Ibasho Shokudo" soup kitchen for children facing various challenges, including school refusal and social withdrawal. It was established in 2016 with the aim of supporting people with disabilities and currently operates three facilities.

After the earthquake, Tomoe received more inquiries from parents and the number of users is still increasing. One of the reasons behind this is that there are fewer places for children to go due to the earthquake and aftershocks. For several months after the disaster, schools, daycare facilities, and community centers in the city were used as evacuation shelters, and some parks could no longer be used due to damaged playgrounds. As evacuation life dragged on, some children were scolded at the evacuation shelters for being "too noisy." An increasing number of children who have dropped out of school or are withdrawn from society come to Tomoe for various reasons.

Tomoe is preparing to open a candy store in the garage of Ibasho Shokudo. It will have lots of exciting candies on display and create a space where children can interact with each other. Tomoe hopes that the store will be a place where children can release the anxiety, fear, and other emotional imbalances that came from the disaster.

The Noto Peninsula (Ishikawa) Earthquake highlighted a major concern for disaster response in Japan - the lack of manpower. The affected areas face an uncertain future and Civic Force is focusing on preventing isolation and disaster-related deaths in tandem with four organizations that work in affected areas such as Oku Noto area and Kanazawa City. Please see below for a summary of our activities in response to the Ishikawa Earthquake from May-August.

NPO Partner Project - BIG UP Ishinomaki - Providing Transportation

In response to people having lost their means of transportation, BIG UP Ishinomaki, based in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, has been providing a car service since April. Users of the service reached over 250. People who continued secondary evacuation in areas such as Kaga, Komatsu, Hakusan, Takaoka, and Kanazawa used the service to go back
home or to move back and forth between their affected houses and temporary houses. With a desire to pass on the experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the members listen to the problems of the affected people and offer advice on the drive to their destinations. Not only do they provide transportation, but they also try to understand the situation of individuals and offer proper support for them. BIG UP Ishinomaki also continues operating shower booths in Suzu City. The shower booths set up in the prefectural gymnasium are going to be open until autumn to meet local people’s needs.

NPO Partner Project - The NGO Collaboration Center for HANSHIN QUAKE Rehabilitation - Preventing Isolation

“After the earthquake thirty years ago, many people died alone. We don’t want to let the same thing happen again.” To make use of the lesson learned from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, after which over the next five years 250 people died alone, the NGO Collaboration Center in Kobe promptly started emergency support at evacuation centers in Nanao City after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. They continue providing support for individuals such as visiting affected houses in Wajima City and Anamizu City and dispatching a “Foot Bath Team” who lend an ear to the evacuees in community center.

NPO Partner Project - Hokuriku Gakuin University Disaster Area Support Center - Deploying Student Volunteers

While labor shortages are serious in the disaster areas, Hokuriku Gakuin University Disaster Area Support Center in Kanazawa City sends their student volunteers to areas such as Wajima City and Noto Town. They have carried on various activities, including cleaning shelters and victims’ homes, washing photos, and creating gathering spaces at temporary housing and for secondary evacuees around Kanazawa City, and safe places for kids. They also have played a role as a hub which connects the disaster areas and university students across Japan who want to take action for the victims. Going forward, they are going to implement programs such as coordinating social events at public spaces.

NPO Partner Project - Small Cove Project - Making Places for Evacuees

The Small Cove Project, started by the owner of Café Cove and others, is running a small café in front of Kanazawa Station to provide a gathering space for evacuees. It encourages people to take a step forward in their recovery while enjoying handmade healthy food and sharing anxiety and concerns of evacuation life. In May, they temporally opened another “Small Cove” for seven days in Kanazawa City for evacuees who couldn’t come all the way to the station, and a total of 284 people visited.

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