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04
Nov

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Call for Volunteers! Typhoon 19 Emergency Relief in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture: 15-17 Nov., 2019

Typhoon 19 struck the Japanese archipelago with great force on October 12th and 13th, 2019. It brought record-breaking heavy rains to numerous areas and caused emergency warnings in 12 different prefectures. Levees broke in 145 places, and the flood damaged over 60,000 households. Peace Boat Disaster Relief Center (PBV) provides support predominantly in Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture (affected by Typhoon 19) and Kyonan, Chiba prefecture (first hit by Typhoon 15, then struck again by Typhoon 19). Those whom suffered in this disaster need long-term help with reconstruction and recovery. PBV has set up a volunteer base in Iwaki and accepts volunteers not only from Japan but also from overseas. Please lend […]

15
Oct

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Call for donations: Emergency Fund for Typhoon Relief in Japan

From September 8 to 9, 2019, Typhoon Faxai (Typhoon No. 15) struck the Kanto area of eastern Japan with a very strong force. The strongest winds in the history of observation were observed at many locations, becoming a record storm. The storm blew away the roofs of houses, and some 3,900 buildings have been partially damaged (as of October 10, according to the the Fire and Disaster Management Agency). Around 80% of the damage is concentrated in Chiba Prefecture, just north of Tokyo. Since September, Peace Boat Disaster Relief (PBV) has been continuing support activities such as distribution of emergency supplies and repair of houses in Chiba Prefecture. Soon after, […]

01
Oct

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Announcement: Change of Organizational Name

We are pleased to announce that we are renaming our organization from “Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center” to “Peace Boat Disaster Relief,” starting on October 1st, 2019. New name (EN): Peace Boat Disaster Relief New name (JP): ピースボート災害支援センター Abbreviation: PBV Although our official name is changed, kindly continue calling us PBV, the name you are already familiar with. We are also introducing our new logo as shown left. Peace Boat Disaster Relief Volunteer Center was founded at the time of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 to succeed the relief efforts previously implemented by Peace Boat, an international NGO. To date, we have engaged in disaster relief activities […]

18
Sep

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Emergency Assistance: Post-typhoon Blackouts in Chiba

On September 9, a strong typhoon struck Kanto region of Japan. The typhoon (No. 15 or Faxai) made landfall and caused severe damage in areas including Shizuoka, Kanagawa, Tokyo and Chiba. In Chiba Prefecture, the typhoon knocked down hundreds of trees in the mountains, which caused significant damage to electricity supply facilities, leading to wide-scale blackouts in the region. A maximum of 900,000 households experienced power-cuts related to the typhoon. The blackout also affected the water supply in many parts of the prefecture as the pumps directing the water supply could not function without electricity. Mobile network and telephone communications were also not functioning for days due to the blackout. […]

06
Sep

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CALL FOR DONATIONS: Heavy rains in Northern Kyushu 2019

The northern part of Kyushu has been experiencing severe heavy rain since August 28, 2019, with particular damage in Fukuoka, Saga, Oita Prefectures. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning, and evacuation orders were made for approximately 880,000 people in these three prefectures. There have been rivers overflowing in various locations, and as of August 29 the Cabinet Office has announced that there was inundation above floor level in 82 buildings, and below in 318. The overall extent of the damage is as yet unknown, and it is anticipated that it may expand further. The Peace Boat Disaster Volunteer Center (PBV) dispatched staff members to the affected areas on August […]

01
Sep

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Study Tours in Ishinomaki

Since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011, we have developed our relationship with the people in Ishinomaki, and our relationship has now grown beyond the context of disaster relief into a locally rooted form. More than half of the 1100 passengers joined optional tours during the Peace Boat’s visit to Ishinomaki, and the rest enjoyed their free time in the city and surrounding areas. With great support from the local people and authorities, the participants on the optional tours enjoyed sightseeing, and learned about the disaster, and the community building, in Ishinomaki, Onagawa and Matsushima. For those passengers from other parts of Japan, visiting and listening to […]

28
Aug

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Peace Boat visits Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture

On August 21, the Peace Boat’s passenger ship, Ocean Dream, called to the port of Ishinomaki for the first time in six years. The visit was part of the Peace Boat’s East Asia Voyage. The ship was warmly welcomed by local people with fishing boat flags and Kurofune taiko drums from Date, Ogatsu-cho, as it entered the industrial port of Ishinomaki. The ship with 1100 passengers slowly approached the shore, while members of the city of Ishinomaki, Onagawa-cho, the city of Higashi-Matsushima, Matsushima-cho and the city of Osaki set up their booths with their local specialities on the quay. These local authorities in the Miyagi prefecture are promoting their regions […]

10
Jul

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Cyclone Idai: Food and Seed Kit Distribution Program in the Buzi District

In order to support community survival until the next harvest, we started distributing food and seed kits in 12 communities in the Buzi District, Sofala Province, in early June. The food kits contain rice and maize flour; both serve as staple foods in the country,  as well as cooking oil and beans, while the seed kits contain vegetable seeds and sweet potato roots for increased food security and nutrition. We aimed to distribute kits to the households in the village with a focus on the most vulnerable. As mentioned in the previous posts, the communities were located in remote areas with limited transportation. Many roads were still blocked and regular […]

15
Jun

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Cyclone Idai: Relief Program in Buzi District

While communicating with multiple thematic clusters of international relief agents gathered in Beira, we tried to identify the locations and programs most in need based on up-to-date information gathered from international and local organizations. In the course of these activities, we came across a member of a local NGO, Kulima. This NGO has been actively involved in social and economic projects since its foundation in the 1980s and fostered strong networks in rural communities across the country. The abundant knowledge and experience of this NGO helped us a great deal while we had limited connections in the country. With an emergency grant from a Japan-based international NGO, Japan Platform, we decided […]

20
May

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Cyclone Idai: Damage in Rural Areas in Mozambique

The dispatched PBV members traveled to rural communities outside Beira for further investigation of the damage caused by Cyclone Idai. The storm first made landfall in Beira then headed inland, moving westward over a plain which rivers run through. The landscape creates favorable conditions for agriculture in ordinary times, but led to extensive flooding during and after the storm. In particular, Buzi District located in the south of Beira experienced severe flooding due to the storm. During the storm, many were rescued from the area by helicopter and boat while witnessing the water lever rising way over head height. In some parts, the water from the storm had yet to […]

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