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"The tatami mat was floating around when I first noticed [the rising water]. Before I could do anything, water came into the house."

"I couldn't use the gas, water heater, or air conditioning."

Four months after Typhoon No. 19 (Hagibis), in early February, a tabletop meeting was held in Tochigi to discuss flooding disasters. Over 50 local residents gathered to share their experiences before and after the flooding, clean-up efforts, and feedback to the municipalities.

Hagibis brought tremendous damage including flooding and water outages to 38 prefectures across Japan (Ministry of Land, Infrastracture, Transport and Tourism).　Due to the widespread damage, there were many areas that did not receive adequate assistance. In Tochigi Prefecture, at least 68 rivers and over 15,0000 houses were flooded. However, not many volunteers came to help recovery efforts, and many victims were forced to give up on cleaning up their flooded homes and farmland. Tochigi City, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, was hit hardest in the prefecture. However, the city did not garner much attention from outside and received little assistance.

The NGO Collaboration Center for Hanshin Earthquake Rehabilitation was one of the first to offer assistance in Tochigi. Since the Great Hanshin Earthquake, the Center has been providing assistance in disaster affected communities across Japan including providing volunteer center management. With the motto, "Work with each victim with care," the Center conducts home visits and hosts workshops. The Center is collaborating with other community organizations and providing personalized care for the disaster victims.

The tabletop meeting was held during a monthly community gathering in the town of Fujimi. The gathering normally sees 20 participants, but the locals showed great interest in the tabletop meeting, and nearly 50 people came. The participants discussed their whereabouts before and after the flood and the actions they took. One participant said "[volunteers started coming in and] it was helpful because the house and garden finally became clean."

Ms. Chihori Tatebe from the NGO Collaboration Center joined the meeting as a guest commentator. Ms. Tatebe has been working in Tochigi　since January. As she listened to the participants talk, she reiterated that "we all need help in times of crisis. I urge you to feel free to seek assistance from us." Responding to one participant's comment about submitting a request letter to the municipality, Ms. Tatebe spoke about the importance of voicing feedback to municipalities and sharing experiences with families and neighbors in order to prepare for future disasters. Using the experiences built during disaster assistance in different areas, we would like to continue being a sounding board for disaster victims."

As part of NPO Partner Projects for Typhoon No. 19 (Hagibis), Civic Force is assisting The NGO Collaboration Center for Hanshin Earthquake Rehabilitation's activities in Tochigi. Please click here to learn more about their activities.