Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami PDF
Preview Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
G r e a — t C oE m a p les tt e J R ea cp o ra d n D oE c ua mr Great East Japan et nh t q C u o Earthquake and Tsunami va e rk ine g fa r on md —Complete Record Document Covering from R eT lies Relief Activities to Recovery Support— fu An c ta ivm it iei s t o R e c o v e r y S u p p o r t — Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami —Complete Record Document Covering from Relief Activities to Recovery Support— All figures, facts, etc., included in this document are a faithful translation of the Japanese version, which was published on November 29, 2013. In principle, this record document contains the results of operations carried out from the day of the earthquake and tsunami to December 31, 2012 (as of March 31, 2013 for figures related to the settlement of accounts). On the Publication of the Record Document The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami（GEJET）caused tremendous damage, with a death toll of more than 15,000 lives. Local administrative agencies also suffered immense damage, leaving us completely unable to engage in disaster relief activities in response to their requests as we would normally do. Despite those circumstances, 55 of the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) medical teams nationwide headed for the affected areas on the day of the disaster and immediately started relief activities. For the six subsequent months, JRCS put all its energy into carrying out the largest-ever relief activities. Not only did Red Cross Hospitals around the country provide medical relief, but the JRCS Blood Centers and Social Welfare Facilities also sent their personnel to the affected areas to provide support for the first time. The total number of personnel who participated in these activities exceeded 7,000. Many activities continued, meeting the needs of victims as they changed with the passage of time, and examples of these included psychosocial care, health counseling by nurses, and a wide range of services provided by JRCS volunteers and Red Cross Youth members from throughout the country as well as from the affected areas. Personnel at JRCS Headquarters struggled from day to day to provide logistical support for the dispatch of medical teams and received a large amount of Gienkin (cash grant scheme). We are proud that so many JRCS people joined forces in these activities, an experience unparalleled even in the history of JRCS. While we engaged in activities that befitted a Red Cross Society, there were many issues left for reconsideration since it was such a huge and unprecedented disaster. Our response to the accident at the nuclear power plant was not sufficient due to the lack of information and inadequate preparedness. We keenly realized the importance of independently assessing the situation without relying entirely on administrative agencies and swiftly establishing appropriate policies on how to respond to the situation. In particular, we received various opinions and critical comments from the nation about the fairness with which Gienkin were allocated and the speed with which they were delivered to the affected people. We are currently endeavoring to improve the way such Gienkin are allocated and delivered to the affected areas by sharing our experience of the problems involved with related organizations that receive contributions as well as with the national and local governments. The whole world paid attention to the recent disaster and up to now we have received Gienkin totaling over 320 billion yen, approximately three times the amount received after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, and in addition 100 billion yen was contributed from overseas. In order to meet the expectations of people in Japan and abroad regarding JRCS and their trust, we must provide for dealing with emergencies in normal times and engrave this on our hearts. If a disaster of unheard-of dimensions caused many unexpected events, the response to such events would have to require an unexpected, enterprising spirit. This is exactly the role that Red Cross is expected to play. This document is intended to offer lessons for future improvements by faithfully recording all the activities of the JRCS after GEJET . I would like to take this opportunity to pray again for the souls of those who died in this earthquake and tsunami and express my deep sympathy with those who were stricken by the disaster. And I would like to conclude my comments on the publication of this document by thanking all of those who worked in the affected areas, supported the relief and recovery operation, and extended tremendous support. November 29, 2013 Tadateru Konoe President Japanese Red Cross Society Relief Activities of the Japanese Red Cross Society as seen in photographs 22001111..33..1111 At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake occurred registering a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale whose epicenter was off the Sanriku coast. The Headquarters of the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) immediately established a third-level relief regine under which it would engage in nationwide relief activities. OTSUCHI, IWATE The Headquarters of Disaster Control (HDC) at the Headquarters 1 Preparations for Support Activities Immediately after the earthquake occurred, JRCS started to prepare for relief and support and dispatched medical teams to the affected areas, FUKUSHIMA, MIYAGI and IWATE. It also sent relief supplies such as blankets, emergency kits and sleeping kits to the affected areas. Personnel and volunteers loading boxes of blankets onto a 10-ton truck Official ceremony to dispatch a medical team A convoy of JRCS vehicles heading north on the New Tomei Expressway 2 An advance team of the Headquarters gained entry to the affected area 33
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