Global Medic
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami – April 12, 2011 – Continuing our relief efforts, the GlobalMedic Rapid Response team loaded a truck with nearly 8,000 bottles of water, half a tonne of rice, 864 bottles of shampoo, and over 100 bottles of conditioner, which was then delivered to small communities in the Miniamisanriku area. The team also confirmed the purchase of over $25,000 worth of supplies to be delivered to communities tomorrow. This included, fresh produce such as potatoes, carrots, onions, as well as items that are giving the people a much needed morale boost, like chocolates and fruit juices. The team confirmed that many of the schools being used as evacuation centres are being re-opened and these people are now returning to their communities so the team will continue to work with HOPE Japan to make this transition easier on the people and to help them regain their quality of life as they rebuild.
April 11, 2011
Today the GlobalMedic team delivered half a ton of rice to a distribution warehouse in the coastal town of Ofunato, one of the hardest hit areas by the tsunami. The rice will be distributed to the thousands of people that in desperate need of food. The team then continued making their way further north to the city Kamaishi where over 6,000 evacuees are taking refuge. The people in this devastated town are in need in need of food and clothing which the team has already begun assembling for distribution.
April 10, 2011
Today the team continued to travel northward to tsunami affected areas. They reached Kessennuma where roughly 8900 people are living in evacuation centres. Parts of the town are functioning normally, but the vast majority is in ruins. The distribution centre has a lot of supplies such as clothing, diapers and other non-food items, but are in need of fresh vegetables, soups and stewing ingredients. The team delivered much needed hygiene kits and is now working on trucking in the much needed food items. Tomorrow the team will continue to head northward and make additional contacts to send supplies to in the upcoming days and weeks.
April 9, 2011
Today the GlobalMedic team traveled through many of the tsunami affected areas of Motoyoshi and Miniamisanriku. These cities are in a fairly good state as far as supplies are concerned. Roads are being repaired and aid trucks are making their way through the devastated areas. It seems that the focus of aid is now shifting from the immediate need for food and water to a more long term project of sustainment for people to rebuild. Some additional supplies were dropped off in Motoyoshi by the team. Tomorrow the team will be heading out on another reconnaissance trip to the north towns of Miniamisanriku, Motoyoshi, and Kesenuma where they will assess what needs still have not been met. They will also meet with an organization working in the area and try to establish what outlying locations are still in need.
April 8, 2011
An aftershock registering 7.4 on the Richter scale struck the northeast coast of Japan. Members of team have reported that they are safe and continuing their mission tasks.
Rapid Response Team members were flown into Ajishima Island today by helicopter and delivered spare parts and filters for the 2 Trekker water purification units that are installed there. All seems to be going well on the island and the trekkers are being put to good use supplying the 450 person community with clean water. The team also traveled with HOPE-JP to multiple cities north of Sendai to assess their material aid needs. A mass procurement and distribution phase is being planned. In partnership with HOPE- JP, GlobalMedic is distributing 72 palletts of bottled drinking water.
April 7, 2011
The Rapid Response Team made their way to Ajishima Island today by helicopter and delivered spare parts and filters for the 2 trekkers that are installed there previously. All seems to be going well on the island and the trekkers are being put to good use supplying the 450 person community with clean drinking water. The team also traveled with HOPE JP to multiple cities north of Sendai that were affected by the tsunami and assessed their need for supplies. Tomorrow the team will organize a mass purchase of items to take to the Kesennuma area in the upcoming days.
GlobalMedic is also looking forward to the delivery of 3600 cans of Baby Formula from our partner Compassionate Service Society (CSS). These will be put directly into our distribution chain and are a much needed item in this response. CSS is partner for our response in Japan and also various others missions internationally.
Update – April 3, 2011
Today the GlobalMedic team travelled north to Rikuzentakata where they performed a needs assessment, and are happy to report that all food and water needs are being met. The team then travelled further north to Ofunato where they delivered a truckload of essential food items, such as canned fish, corn, noodles and spices, as well as non-food items including diapers for kids, soap, and other personal hygiene products.
Update – April 1, 2011
Today the team travelled north to Rikuzen Takata where they installed 2 Trekker water purification units. The first unit was installed in a temple and the second at a food distribution depot where the beneficiaries can now also get clean drinking water.
Tomorrow the team will use helicopters to be lifted onto the island of Ajishima, where it is suspected that people are in short supply of clean drinking water, GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team will go in equipped with Trekker water purification units and will also asses the site for any additional needs.
Update – March 31, 2011
Members of GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team travelled by helicopter into Miyagi Prefecture. They installed a portable water purification system in a temple to provide evacuees with access to potable water.
More assessments were conducted and several evacuation centres were added to our list to receive material aid shipments. 72 pallets of bottled water have been secured and are being moved into the distribution pipeline by our partner Hope-Jp.
Tomorrow the team will make their way north to Rikuzen Takata where potable water is in short supply to install 2 additional Trekker water purification units.
Update – March 30, 2011
The GlobalMedic team split up over the past few days in order to cover more ground. One team moved through Ofunato and Rikuzen Takata assessing needs. 2 Trekker water purification units were installed in and around Rikuzen Takata to provide clean drinking water to those in need. Additionally locations were identified in need of material and food aid. Trucks will be sent here in the following days to provide canned fish, sweet corn and tuna, as well as diapers, sanitary napkins and infant formula.
The second GlobalMedic team worked its way north from Ofunato through Kamaishi and Miyako along coastal routes. The devastation along these routes is immense. We are happy to report all communities and evacuation centers surveyed had a sustainable source of clean drinking water. There are however material aid needs that we will fill in the coming days, similar to those in Ofunato and Rikuzen Takata.
March 29, 2011
Longtime partner Procter and Gamble is donating about 10 tonnes of material aid. The items include baby diapers, feminine napkins, shampoo, and other household items. GlobalMedic teams are coordinating the trucking and distribution of this aid. This aid will be delivered to Ofunato’s city hall who are coordinating delivery to 61 evacuation camps in the area.
One team is going by truck into Kamaishi and will likely end up camping overnight in the field. They are part of a convoy of aid delivery trucks and will install portable water units. The other team will be travelling with water department officials to Rikuzen Takata, west of Ofunato to install portable water units.
Update – March 28, 2011
GlobalMedic teams set up an operating base in Ofunato, a northern area affected by the disaster. Local water department officials asked us to install a Trekker water purification system in Ryori which is isolated and cut off from regular aid delivery. The team installed the unit giving evacuees access to potable water. Two teams are tasked tomorrow with several installs.
An assessment team met with officials at city hall in Ofunato. They are coordinating 61 evacuation camps and have reported a need for material aid items including canned food, diapers, sanitary napkins, shampoo, and others. Our team has notified our procurement facility and we will dispatch aid to meet these demands.
Update – March 27, 2011
GlobalMedic and HOPE-JP travelled to Ojika Peninsula today and distributed material aid to evacuation shelters. The aid included rice, sanitary napkins, childrens diapers, toilet paper, baby wipes, and batteries. A second team was to travel to Ofunato in the afternoon to install a Trekker in a location identified by the local water department but due to inclement weather were unable to fly.
Three helicopters did manage to fly sorties and delivered material aid into Iwate Prefecture as well as on Katsura Jima Island. The team is continuing its efforts to install water purification units and provide material aid to evacuees.
Update – March 26, 2011
GlobalMedic and HOPE-JP installed a trekker water purification unit at an evacuation camp in Miato, an island on the north east coast of Japan, severely devastated by the tsunami. The trekker will provide clean drinking water for over 500 people a day. Recent media reports have shown the residents of the island were forced to drink from a pool. The entry team was helicoptered in and successfully installed the unit. The evacuees seeking sheltered there are isolated. They now have access to potable water.
A second GlobalMedic team travelled to Ishinowaki today and distributed material aid to evacuation shelters and homes that previously could not be reached due to a lack of fuel to transport goods. The aid included rice, sanitary napkins, children’ diapers, toilet paper, baby wipes, and batteries. The team will continue to install trekkers and distribute material aid over the coming days.
Update – March 25, 2011
Five GlobalMedic RRT members are now based in Sendai. Using helicopters they are being dropped into the affected zone to install portable water purification units in shelters to provide evacuees with access to clean drinking water.
The logistics hub in Nagoya is still operational. Daily, more supplies are collected and shipped to the warehouse in Sendai for further distribution. Compassionate Service Society has just donated 3,600 cans of infant baby formula which is being dropped into the Nagoya base and placed into the shipping pipeline for delivery to evacuees.
Update – March 24, 2011
GlobalMedic and HOPE-JP ran reconnaissance flights today up the coast line north east of Sendai city via helicopter. The destruction when viewed from the air is a very tragic sight. The coast line has been ripped apart by the tsunami.
3 members from our Rapid Response Team arrived in Narita today. They will be travelling to Sendai tomorrow and begin installing water purification units by helicopter throughout the remote affected areas that were identified by the reconnaissance team. The water purification units will provide between 7,200 and 9,000 people with clean drinking water daily. Additionally, a warehouse was secured in Sendai city which will become the primary hub for bulk shipments of material aid before they are delivered further north.
Update – March 22, 2011
GlobalMedic and HOPE-JP loaded and delivered 41,472 diapers for infants and children today. These items were delivered to Fukushima-ken this evening. We would like to thank Canyon Outdoor Adventures for providing the with the trucking and drivers for the shipment. Tomorrow a GlobalMedic team will be delivering medication and essential items by helicopter to Sendai.
Update – March 19, 2011
GlobalMedic, in partnership with HOPE International Development Agency / Japan (HOPE-JP), is working to provide material aid to affected beneficiaries in the North East areas of Japan hit hardest by the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Together we have been creating supply chains from Nagoya and Tokyo which will deliver relief items into Fukishima, Sendai and Kensenuma and other areas. We are doing this through local partners in affected areas who are assisting in the distribution of relief items.
Today a 2 ton truck was loaded with supplies in Nagoya, destined for Ikawi City in Fukishima-ken. In addition to transporting items by truck we are also opening supply routes by helicopter to deliver much needed medical supplies. Over the coming days the following items which were included in today’s shipment, will be delivered to victims of this disasters: food, water, blankets, sanitary napkins, diapers, infant formula, baby bottles and more.
Assessment teams have found several location in the affected zone where shelters housing evacuees do not have access to clean water. GlobalMedic is formulating a response plan to deliver and install portable water purification systems to these areas.
Update – March 15, 2011
GlobalMedic team in Japan has met with Government officials. Offer to deploy field hospital and water purification units still stand. Team waiting for Government response. Current team is procuring local supplies including food, blankets, and pharmaceuticals. Supplies are shipped into affected zones to partner agencies for distribution to beneficiaries. We are expanding our supply and procurement points. Local agencies in the affected zones needing aid items can email mcapobianco@globalmedic.ca with a detailed list of needs and locations to be added to our supply runs.
Update – March 14, 2011
Advance team on the ground in Japan. Coordinating with the government to facilitate entry of field hospital and water purification units if needed. Assisting local NGOs in the purchase and shipping of blankets, food, water and pharmaceuticals to the affected zones by helicopter.
Update – March 13, 2011
GlobalMedic has an advance team on the ground in Japan. The team is coordinating with government officials to determine the need to deploy a field hospital and water purification units to the affected northern areas of the island nation. Members of the Rapid Response Team remain on standby ready to deploy if needed.
March 11, 2011
An 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Northeast coast of Japan at 2:46 pm local time, triggering a 33 foot tsunami which slammed the coastal towns. As a result, 33 people have been killed but that number is expected to climb significantly. This is the largest magnitude earthquake in Japan’s history, since records began over 140 years ago.
Tsunami alerts have been issued by Hawaii, Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan, among others. Additionally, coastal British Columbia is under a tsunami advisory.
GlobalMedic has offered the assistance of its Rapid Response Team, including our Emergency Water and Emergency Medical units to the Japanese government. We have also deployed an assessment team to Japan to determine the needs for this response.
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