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Miyagi Support Center News "Link(Yui)" No.3, April 10th, 2011

"Let's support our fellows in Tohoku with our bonds of friendship and strengths."

Issued by the Miyagi Support Center of the Japan Disability Forum (JDF) HQs for the support of persons with disabilities affected by the East Japan Great Earthquake.

Office: c/o Sendai Work Campus, Taihaku-ku, Sendai city.

Phone and fax: +81-22-306-4663

Surveys on persons with disabilities in the area affected by the disaster were implemented along coastal area, and now it is expanding to shelters in inland area.

Due to the aftershock with a magnitude of 7.0 on April 7th, re-investigation has been done for support centers and shelters we visited before.

It is reported that cracks on walls of some buildings and some of lifeline have damaged again although those were repaired once.

We had meetings with the association of Miyagi to support persons with disabilities affected by the disaster, exchanged information, and had works for networking of supporters.

Number of visits from Miyagi Support center (up to April 8th):
Support centers for the disabled: 153
Shelters: 37
Towns and villages: 24
Provision of goods and materials: 20 places.
Related organizations: 17
Interviews: 11 persons.
Individuals visited: 2.
Number of people who worked for the center: 176.

The first report on surveys is released and it has been given to Miyagi prefecture government.

In surveys from March 31st to April 6th, we visited to 153 support centers in 10cities and towns in coast area where have been hit by tsunami.

30% of centers had damages on their buildings like flew out, burn out, and half-destroyed.

Some of centers have been opened again although staffs were affected by the disaster.

However, even such centers have difficulty to re-start working because their counterpart company had damage by the disaster.

On the other hands, families of persons with disabilities are living in difficult condition due to lack of goods, materials., and human supports, for example, alternative space to live instead of group home loosen by tsunami, medical equipment, and care workers for toileting.

We continue to have activities and surveys in our center.

A meeting to exchange information with other support groups in Miyagi on April 7th

We had "the meeting to exchange information on East Japan Great Earthquake" at 2pm on April 7th in the Welfare Plaza of Sendai city.

It was participated by several groups of persons with disabilities, and also groups to support persons with disabilities.

The meeting was run by "the Association of Miyagi to Support the Survivors of the Disaster" and the Miyagi support center of JDF.

It was participated by the Department of Welfare and Disability Issues of Miyagi Prefecture Government and the department of supports for persons with disabilities of Sendai city hall.

Since March 11th, community groups and centers supported their members and users, and also support activities have been run by support groups outside Miyagi including national association with using their own network.

During this 1month, condition of lifeline is getting recovered.

However, unfortunately and sadly, it is reality that still we have many people missing and many people without proper supports like persons with disabilities at home.

That's why we had 42 groups and more than 70 persons participated for the meeting.

All of participants talked on their situation, challenges, and future collaboration.

It was confirmed that we had such meeting for information exchange regularly.

Sendai Social Welfare Plaza
Attendants of the Information Sharing Meeting were from organizations of persons with disabilities.
(at Sendai Social Welfare Plaza)

From the surveys diary
Expanding damage by continuous earthquake

When we were overcoming difficulties and preparing to re-start usual activities, an aftershock with 6 on Japanese seismic scale was happened on April 7th.

There are more damages by aftershock than the media's report, for example, walls collapsed and cracks on roads.

On April 8th, we visited again to centers/facilities investigated before for checking their situation again.

In a center for persons with physical disabilities in Shiogama city, water stopped due to the aftershock.

We provided 100L of water to the institution as response to their demands.

April 8th.

Watari town
Some challenges of life in shelters

We expanded our surveys from support centers for persons with disabilities to community shelters.

It is challenging to provide goods and materials for needs of persons with disabilities in the shelters of Watari town.

2 families of children with disabilities mentioned that human support like when toileting was needed in their life of shelters.

April 7th.

From the office (April 10th, total numbers of supporters so far: 66)

On April 8th, we had visitors from "Joint Project of supports by connections of NPO and survivors" through introduction by Mr. Makoto Yuasa from the Cabinets Office.

They recommended us to participate into their project to connect NPO/organization and survivors who had special needs like persons with disabilities, infants and children, and senior citizens.

We collaborate to work together.

On April 8th, 5 new members joined us from Tokyo.

On the other hand, members who support center activities up to now will go back to Aichi, Tokyo, and Saitama for their home and usual job.

They worked for surveys as main actors, and contributed to establish basement of center activities.

We will have new 4 members from Aichi to alternate former members, and also many new members from Tokyo in the next week.

Many members are changing at the secretariat, but we believe new members will work well as former members.

A word from a member of the survey team

We have realized that it is very important to have empathy with survivors for supporting them.

Let's work together for reviving our society in real meaning without forgetting life condition of survivors.

Activity record

April 7th, Thursday: Participation to "the meeting to exchange information on East Japan Great Earthquake". Due to the aftershock with 6 on Japanese scale, we stayed indoors for a while with fear.

April 8th, Friday: The first report on surveys was released.

April 9th, Saturday : Confirmed safety of members of Japanese braille library by phone.

Activities have just begun.

There are still many who need support.

We need people with cars who can support our work!!!


Translated by Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities Volunteer translator :
Mr. Makoto Kono