Because Operation Blessing already has a rice supplier on standby, teams were able to quickly arrange to take another load of 3,300 pounds of rice to this heavily damaged fishing port city.

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

KESSENUMA, Japan – There is a general impression that most evacuees staying in emergency shelters are now being well supplied with basic needs such as food and water by the government. We were surprised to receive a sudden call from a pastor in the area telling us that the city of Kessenuma was sending out an “SOS” for more rice and dry foods.

So Operation Blessing swung into action. Because we already had a rice supplier on standby, we were able to quickly arrange to take another load of 3,300 pounds of rice to this heavily damaged fishing port city where 10,000 of the 70,000 people living in the city rely on food provided by the local government.

Delivering this truckload of rice has opened more doors to Operation Blessing, and we were able to schedule another eye clinic in this city for later this week; we will also be meeting with leaders to discuss how Operation Blessing can be a blessing to the fishing community.

Today was the big day that evacuees from the decimated fishing town of Togura received the glasses that had been prescribed for them almost two weeks earlier. Were heard many excited comments on the glasses as individuals put them on: “Bacchiri!” (perfect) and “Saiko!” (excellent). Once again Operation Blessing had brought hope and a fresh outlook for the future.

Today was the big day that evacuees from the decimated fishing town of Togura received the glasses that had been prescribed for them almost two weeks earlier.

All these people continue to sleep on mats on the hard floor of the facility gymnasium while they wait for a chance to move to one of the temporary housing facilities being built by the government. However, without a job the prospect of moving into temporary housing can be a nightmare. There, the families pay for their own utilities and upkeep.

Many have lost their jobs because their workplace was either swept away or damaged by the tsunami, or their company is struggling to survive in the aftermath. So some families have decided that it would be best to pass up the opportunity for temporary housing and stay in the shelter where basic food and water are available without charge.

After delivering glasses to Togura in the morning, the Operation Blessing Eye Clinic team headed towards the Minami Sanriku coastline to a resort hotel that has been turned into an evacuation center. The hotel is situated high on a cliff overlooking the Minami Sanriku Bay area. However, the first two floors of the hotel reach down near the water and had been inundated by the 30-foot-high wave that hit the hotel.

In contrast to many other buildings in the Minami Sanriku area, the hotel remained intact, and it now houses 460 evacuees, some of whom are employees of the hotel who lost their homes. We learned that the water supply system for the Minami Sanriku area was inundated with saltwater and will likely not be back on line for another six months.

The Operation Blessing Eye Clinic is not just about supplying glasses, but is also an opportunity for traumatized survivors to have a bit of fun as they try on the different frames and be shown a little attention and care.

To maintain a supply of water, the hotel has 80 tons of water delivered each a day by huge tanker trucks. However, a hotel manager told me that this is only a fraction of what their usual water needs are. It helps that they receive bottled drinking water, which is then rationed to one liter per person each day.

One man who visited the eye clinic today was a captain of a tour boat; he had left his glasses on his boat that had been washed out to sea. He said he was so happy to hear of the glasses clinic not only because he needs glasses to drive a boat, but because he also drives busses and trucks. Though he has lost his job with the boat company, he has volunteered to drive a two-ton truck owned by the hotel to help deliver supplies to surrounding villages. He said that he figured it would be better to be doing something rather than just sitting around waiting.

Another young man grateful for a pair of glasses was Shota Oikawa, 22, who had been a worker at a scallop processing plant. He left his glasses, which he needs for driving, in his car that was then taken out to sea by the tsunami, along with this home and workplace. He managed to escape the tsunami with only the clothes he was wearing (none other than a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt!).

Every person who comes to the OB Eye Clinic has their own story of how they lost their glasses. All have gone through the trauma of narrowly escaping the tsunami and losing all their possessions. The Operation Blessing Eye Clinic is not just about supplying glasses, but is also an opportunity for traumatized survivors to have a bit of fun as they try on the different frames and be shown a little attention and care. Hope can be delivered in various ways, and this is one way that Operation Blessing is sharing hope—helping each individual as they work to rebuild their lives and their community.

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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