Interim Report on 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake and Flood Damage ReliefAs of December 2024

The Nippon Foundation’s disaster response activities are based on the principle of implementing appropriate action for each phase of support. Using our network of NGOs and expertise developed over the roughly 30 years since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck the city of Kobe and surrounding regions in 1995, we dispatched staff to the region on January 2, the day after the earthquake struck, and began carrying out activities including: (1) Setting up a base in the city of Suzu, one of the most heavily damaged locations; (2) Installing self-contained showers and sinks in evacuation shelters in areas where water had been cut off; and (3) Providing support for on-site relief activities being carried out by NGOs. Following the heavy rains that struck the region in September of the same year, we sent assistance for daily living and dispatched volunteers to support the rebuilding of local communities.

With roads being made inaccessible by the damage, it was difficult to deliver goods and dispatch volunteers, so sea routes were used for swift transport of emergency supplies. Mental health care was also provided for children who experienced damage from the earthquake and heavy rains. The damage came in many different forms, and the Foundation has been responding flexibly as needs change to support people living in difficult circumstances. We will continue to carry out our activities with a desire to support and rebuild sustainable local communities.

Using a roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ferry that trucks can drive on to and off of, we delivered the most urgent items – kerosene, diesel fuel, power generators, self-contained showers, and self-contained sinks – by sea from Kanazawa Port to ports in the cities of Wajima and Suzu. With roads being heavily damaged, this allowed trucks loaded with goods to access evacuation shelters and social welfare centers directly, making it possible to provide support more quickly.

Comment from Foundation staff member who spent an extended period of time in the area:
There is no question that reconstruction is taking longer than in other disaster areas. Even after six months, many people are still living in evacuation centers or in damaged homes without running water. Given the chaos on the ground, we have no choice but to determine what support is needed on a case-by-case basis. The Nippon Foundation is connecting government entities, social welfare organizations, NGOs, and citizens to provide long-term support including technical assistance and coordination of volunteer activities.

In aggregate, 352 athletes interacted with roughly 10,000 children through 127 visits to nursery schools, kindergartens, and elementary, junior high and high schools in six towns and cities on the Noto Peninsula and the town of Uchinada. After the disasters, school gymnasiums were used as evacuation shelters and to store goods. Athletes came up with their own activities to support the mental health of children who had little opportunity for physical activity.

More than half of the residents of Anamizu Town in Ishikawa Prefecture are 65 years old or older. Some evacuation shelters have been closed roughly one year after a disaster. Using their experience from more than 30 disaster support projects since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, this NGO helps to improve living environments in evacuation shelters and visits individuals in remote areas to deliver food and check on their well-being. They are also known for their soothing “foot baths” that give people a chance to talk and relax.

Nanao City in Ishikawa Prefecture had plans to receive support from up to 1,000 volunteers. These volunteers would help people remove valuables from damaged homes slated for demolition and move into temporary housing, and also provide consultation for rebuilding daily lives. Support includes a café where residents can interact and assistance with rice harvesting. Their activities are deeply rooted in the local community, with the aim of developing personal relationships while “leaving no one behind.”

People who are deaf or hard of hearing have different ways of communication, making it difficult to provide them with necessary information during emergencies. Most of the people affected by this disaster who were deaf or hard of hearing were also older and did not have the technological skills to use remote sign language interpretation. Sign language interpreters and other specialists made in-person visits across Ishikawa Prefecture to provide consultation in sign language on how to rebuild their lives, giving them peace of mind.

Noto-gawara are roof tiles that are unique to traditional houses on the Noto Peninsula. To pass on this local culture to the next generation, internationally renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, together with a group of technicians and volunteers, launched a project to collect these tiles from collapsed houses and other buildings. Their goal is to collect and preserve 50,000 tiles from 50 houses in Wajima and Suzu cities in Ishikawa Prefecture, and reuse them in construction to restore Noto’s traditional scenery.