On March 28, AAR JAPAN’s Emergency Relief Teams logged 7 locations on their delivery record, visiting 4 places in Tome City, 2 in Kurihara City and 1 more in Yamamoto Town, all in Miyagi Prefecture.
Disappeared Welfare Facility Revisited
“Sasae-ai (Supporting Each Other)” is a welfare facility for the aged in Yamamoto Town. Its building had been rendered into a pile of planks and scrap metals by the massive Tsunami, and a single signboard was all that was left in its location when the AAR JAPAN’s Relief Team managed to get there on March 26. The Team was later able to talk to the director of the facility, but at that time he had not grasped enough information as to what had happened to the elderly who had been in the building at the time of the Quake. The leader got in touch with the Team again after two days, saying whereabouts of the aged clients had been confirmed and that he had secured a storage for relief items. The elderly of the facility are scattered in several locations, some at refuge centers, some others staying with their relatives. The team met director on March 28, and handed out food and diapers for adults, both desperately needed by the dispersed elderly.
Welfare Facility Ponders Relocation
“Sakuranbo Kurabu (Cherry Club)” is a welfare facility for the aged in a city of Tome in Northern Miyagi. Situated inland, Tome was out of reach of the Tsunami. Many parts of the town, former marshland, suffered serious damages nonetheless due to its relatively loose soil.
Half of the building of “Sakuranbo Kurabu” is not usable because of possible liquefaction caused by the Quake. The phenomenon has created a number of puddles in the facility’s premise. A staff member of the facility told the Team that the facility might have to move to somewhere else in near future, because the current building is too dangerous for normal use.
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| Land liquefaction left puddles around the building of "Sakuranbo Kurabu" (Go IGARASHI of AAR JAPAN, right, hands out a box of relief items) |
List of Destinations on March 28
Kurihara City, Miyagi Prefecture
-Bakery “Isoppu (Aesop)” (Welfare facility for persons with disabilities)
-“Mariya no Ie (House of Mary)” (Welfare facility for persons with disabilities)
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| Septic tanks at "Minna no Ie" were all damaged. |
Yamamoto Town, Miyagi Prefecture
-“Sasae-ai” (Welfare facility for the aged)
Tome City, Miyagi Prefecture
-Wako-en (Welfare facility for persons with disabilities)
-“Sakuranbo Kurabu” (Welfare facility for the aged)
-“Minna no Ie (House for Everybody)” (Welfare facility for the aged)
-Hantoku-en (Welfare facility for persons with disabilities)
HELP EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS STAND UP ON THEIR FEET
