Teams bring relief supplies to displaced tsunami victims living in shelters.

Report from the field: OBI teams share their firsthand, eye-witness accounts of the relief efforts in Japan

SHIOGAMA, Japan – Today we were back in the city of Shiogama, the city we first visited after the tsunami. Last week we came with a van load of supplies.

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Today, we had a van and two trucks loaded with rice, thermal underwear, hygiene supplies and kerosene. We saw some familiar faces—city workers we had met last week. They were happy to see that OB had returned with the supplies they had requested.

In the main gymnasium quite a few families had been able to return to their homes but hundreds are still sleeping on the floor, unsure of how long they will be homeless. For the first time since the disaster, Don Thomson and I had time to catch a breath and talk to some of the families in one of the shelters we are serving.

After losing their home to the tsunami, the Matsumoto family is staying in this shelter in Shiogama.

One family that stood out were the Matsumotos. The two little twin boys Kashin and Mihaya are three years old and were running around the gymnasium playing.

We spoke to Mr. Matsumoto who told us that the first floor of his house was completely inundated with mud from the tsunami. They lost most of their belongings and will never be able to live there again.

He seemed slightly lost as he explained that he had no idea how long his family (six members including his wife, grandmother and three children) would need to live in the shelter. He was thankful to Operation Blessing for bringing food and water supplies and said that they felt well cared for under the circumstances.

The OB team also took some toys with us to Shiogama and the twins went loopy when they saw the yo-yos, soccer balls and flying helicopters we gave them.

Twin boys Kashin and Mihaya, 3, play in the gymnasium at a school in Shiogama that has been converted into a temporary shelter.

Don's neighbor in Tokyo is a business owner named Mr. Sakura. He joined us for the distribution and has been very helpful to OB in supplying vehicles and fuel. Before he left Tokyo he gathered some things he thought would be helpful to the victims. As we were unloading the trucks I saw his assistant gather up a large bundle of umbrellas. Even the simplest thing like an umbrella can be an asset to a family that lost everything.

As we drove back through the city we were surprised at how much debris they have been able to clean up in one week, but evidence of the tsunami is still everywhere to be seen. We walked through a former neighborhood near the harbor.

Fishing nets and lines wrap around a utility pole after the tsunami.

The only thing left of many of the houses is just the concrete slab they once stood on. Reminders of the decimated fishing community littered the landscape; outboard motors half submerged in mud, a broken fishing reel and nets cast half way up telephone poles.

Tomorrow morning we have two large trucks arriving packed with bottled water, and we are picking up more rice directly from our local farmer connection. Thank you to everyone who has partnered with Operation Blessing— we are getting supplies into the hardest hit areas!

HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help by making an online donation toward OBI's disaster relief efforts. With your support, we can continue to provide emergency relief and recovery. Please make an on-line donation today.

 

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