New Documentary Highlights the Importance of Community-Led Disaster Response
A new documentary, Right Help, Right Time, has been released by the Australian initiative Beyond Disaster, exploring how communities around the world respond when disasters strike. The film is now available to watch online and features lessons and experiences from several countries, including Japan.
In 2024, the Beyond Disaster team visited the Peace Boat Disaster Relief (PBV) office as part of their global research on spontaneous disaster volunteers and community resilience. During their journey, they interviewed disaster responders, community leaders, and volunteers to learn how communities organize and support one another during emergencies.
The documentary shares stories from New Zealand, Japan, Türkiye, Syria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile, and other countries. Despite different disaster contexts, a common message emerges: local communities are often the first to act, and effective coordination between residents, volunteers, NGOs, and public authorities is key to successful disaster response.
The Japan section looks back at the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, highlighting how volunteer organizations and local communities developed new ways of working together. PBV is honored to have contributed its experience to this international project, and our International Projects Team Coordinator, Ikuno Suzuki, was interviewed as part of the documentary.
As disasters become more frequent and complex around the world, the documentary reminds us that disaster preparedness is a shared responsibility. Strengthening community connections and creating opportunities for collaboration before disasters occur can make a significant difference when emergencies happen.
We congratulate the Beyond Disaster team on the release of this documentary and encourage everyone interested in disaster preparedness and volunteerism to watch and share it.
Watch the documentary here:
https://beyonddisaster.au/doco/
