Updates on Typhoon Hagibis Relief: New Grant Awarded for Projects in Iwaki and Chiba
Peace Boat Disaster Relief (PBV) is excited to announce the award of a typhoon Hagibis relief grant from a US-based organization, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, to support our ongoing recovery efforts in the Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture and the southern Chiba region.
As previously shared on this news section and on our Facebook page, we have been working in the two areas affected by the typhoon since October 2019. Up until this spring, we had worked with hundreds of volunteers who came over to the project sites and lent a helping hand to rebuild communities and regain livelihoods in Iwaki and southern Chiba. We have implemented diverse projects, such as the improvement of living conditions at the evacuation center, hot-meal distribution, social activities, house cleaning and roof repairs.
Starting in May, we have taken the next step of our recovery effort in the two communities to realize the “build back better” strategy. In partnership with local authorities, NGOs and voluntary groups in the two communities, we will continue supporting the local residents to work towards full recovery. In Iwaki, we are assisting the reconstruction and refurnishing of local community centers damaged by the storm and flooding. In the southern Chiba region, we plan to implement projects to increase the capacity of local volunteers.
The grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy will help us expand and accelerate the projects in both communities. While the media attention and people’s interests to the affected areas fade away as time passes after the disaster, struggles of the local communities for full recovery continue for months and years. With the forthcoming rainy and typhoon season is fast approaching, we are indeed grateful to receive the generous help offered from overseas which will support us accelerating the recovery efforts.
Despite the challenges created by the current COVID-19 situations in Japan, the projects are moving forward steadily with frequent on-line communication with leaders of the communities. In Iwaki, reconstruction and repair of community centers have already been implemented, aiming to restart the social and cultural activities which the locals enjoyed before the typhoon. These community centers will serve for more than twelve-thousand residents once they are reopened. We plan to start organizing roof and house repairing workshops for the local volunteers in the southern Chiba region once the travel restrictions are lifted. The workshops will be held as practical training sessions and the volunteers will learn how to work on roofs and building structures through firsthand experience under strict safety control. This will not only help the residents staying in the damaged houses still now, but also contribute to building response capacity against disasters in the future in the region. More updates will be shared on this website and on our Facebook page.
For more information on the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, please visit http://disasterphilanthropy.org.