It has been about two weeks since the record-breaking rainfall (August 2021) caused tremendous damage in Saga Prefecture and other areas in western Japan. Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan) launched emergency relief activities, such as distributing emergency items supplies to the affected welfare facilities for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the households, mostly consisted of the elderly people who evacuated at home, being afraid of Covid-19 infection.
"It soothes the sweetness of the Japanese sweets our fatigue and helps us to clean up."
AAR distributed a Japanese sweets called “yokan” (sweetened red bean paste) donated by a long-established Japanese company “TORAYA Confectionery Co. Ltd.”, one of our sponsors, to facilities for the PWDs and designated evacuation centers in Takeo City and Omachi Town in Saga prefecture, where severely flooded. The company has always been as supportive as ever in helping the affected areas after disasters. The company's support is always grateful to the disaster victims, both physically and mentally exhausted.
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| AAR's Ohara (right) hands out Toraya's yokan (sweet bean jelly) at the NPO Tsukushi no Sato Kitakata Workshop in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, 24 August 2021. |
In addition, the distribution of boxed lunches by kitchen car in the town of Kitagata, Takeo City, from the 20th to the 25th of August, was a great success.
"We are all very grateful for the help.” An elderly man expressed his gratitude, saying, "We are at the peak of physical and mental fatigue, so we don't have the energy to cook for ourselves in a muddy kitchen with flooded floorboards.”
Namatame(right) interviews people at Kibagon, a
community workshop run by the NPO Egalite in Omachi, Saga Prefecture, on 23
August.
AAR is currently visiting welfare facilities such as community work centers for the PWDs and homes of elderly living alone who evacuated at their homes. In cooperation with the local government, AAR is interviewing people about the damage and the support they need and then delivering hygiene products, furniture and fixtures, and large fans for drying the flooded floors.
Since August 11th August this year, the heavy rains have caused river flooding and landslides than the torrential rains in Saga in August 2019, resulting in more than 3,000 cases of inundation above and below floor level and extensive damage to agriculture and local industries.
Restoration work at a children's support center run
by the NPO Galapagos in Kitagata, Takeo City, flooded on 26 August.
AAR will continue to provide goods and support for the rapid restoration of facilities for the PWDs. We would like to ask for your further understanding and cooperation in AAR's emergency activities for the victims of the heavy rains and floods.
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AAR takes thorough measures to prevent the spread of infection in its relief activities in the affected areas. We formulated our own "Guidelines for Emergency Assistance under the Influence of COVID-19", referring to the guidelines of related organizations. When staff from the Tokyo Office enter the field, they wear masks and disinfect their hands after confirming negative results in PCR Test.