OBI's third and last eye clinic in the Urato Islands took place on Sabusawa Island.

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

SABUSAWA ISLAND, Japan – Today was our third and last eye clinic in the Urato Islands—on Sabusawa Island. The mayor of Shiogama (the city that has jurisdiction over the islands) was on the ferry with us today. He was heading to the opening ceremony for the local elementary and middle school on Nonoshima Island, and then also went on to pay us a visit at our eye clinic on the third island.

The clinic today was set up in a tent outside the evacuation center in the local elementary school. When we arrived at the port, we were met by several fishermen, who came to pick us up in their light trucks, which we have noticed are pretty much the standard form of transport on the islands for both luggage and people. A military helicopter also arrived at the same time, delivering essential supplies for the island.

On this island of mainly fishermen and oyster cultivators, people’s stories were very similar to those we heard on other islands. Many had lost their homes and everything they owned. Masayoshi Chonan (51) who is the head oysterman on this island shared with us how he had lost his home and all his oyster growing equipment (contraptions with floats and ropes, anchored to the seabed for stringing scallop shells on which oysters are grown).

On this island of mainly fishermen and oyster cultivators, people’s stories were very similar to those we heard on other islands. Many had lost their homes and everything they owned.

The only thing he had left that managed to survive the tsunami was his 36-foot skiff. He was thinking about giving up on oyster growing altogether. However, after learning that Operation Blessing was working with the Fishing Guild to help people like him on the islands get back to work, he and several other young fisherman decided to get back to oyster-growing again. He looked us straight in the eye and said in Japanese, “Honto desu yo.” (This is the absolute truth!)

During the clinic, I talked to one retired man living on the island who mentioned that a major problem they were facing was laundry—by necessity they had gone back to washing by hand. It would make life easier if they could get some simple two-tub wash and spin washing machines to plug into the generators they have.

We talked to some of the women about this first, and, sure enough, the ladies confirmed that having several washing machines of the type he described would be a huge help to the community.

So along with generators, Operation Blessing will be delivering some washing machines to the islands, which will be transported on a barge in a couple of days.

Tomorrow we head to the town of Minami Sanriku. A contact of our rice supplier asked us to come set up an eye clinic for a group in an isolated community there. Minami Sanriku is another township along the Miyagi Coast that has suffered severe damage from the tsunami.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
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