We can't predict when and where a disaster will happen.
When it actually happens, "Leave it to the experts" is an important concept for grasping the situation immediately and saving "more lives in less time." Following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, Civic Force procured and distributed 380 tons (540 items) of relief supplies in cooperation with more than 140 companies. Four hundred companies have been helping affected areas through various supports: selling donation-inclusive products; organizing charity concerts and events; installing donation boxes; offering materials and equipment for free; sending volunteer workers.
Our large-scale supports has been attributed to kindly assistance of enterprises, NGOs and administrative authorities by taking advantage of strengths of each body: food companies supplied food; pharmaceutical companies offered medicine; apparel companies provided clothing. Furthermore, companies of various kinds and scales utilized their business resources and offered goods, human resources and knowledge: carpenters built public baths; IT engineers provided IT skills; major department stores rented large spaces in their stores.
Civic Force also places importance on partnership with specialized NGOs, which stays on the disaster sites to grasp the needs of the victims and solve the problems. In addition, cooperative relationship with local municipalities across Japan, such as Fukuroi City in Shizuoka Prefecture, is also vital.
To make maximum use of the "power of cooperation," which we experienced through the Great East Japan Earthquake, in the next disaster, Civic Force is developing an emergency preparedness system by strengthening partnership with other organizations.
When a disaster occurs, all kinds of support are needed in the disaster areas. In order to assess the damage situations as soon as possible and to "save more lives in less time," it is very important to develop cooperative relationships among enterprises, administrations and NGOs, by utilizing their advantages and mutually providing services, supplies, human resources and funds before another disaster occurs. To make maximum use of the "power of cooperation," which we experienced through the Great East Japan Earthquake, in the next disaster, Civic Force is developing an emergency preparedness system by strengthening partnership with other organizations.
The fastest way to get to the disaster site is by helicopter, which can take the shortest route to destinations at over 200 kilometers per hour. Helicopters are useful in surveying damage situation quickly, finding places where rescue operation is urgently needed, and delivering emergency relief supplies such as medicine. In order to rescue lives from the sky, Civic Force is cooperating with a helicopter company which keeps helicopters, pilots and mechanics ready at all times.
In order to distribute as much relief supplies as fast as possible to disaster victims in need, companies that have emergency warehouses to store large amounts of relief supplies, trucks to transport them by shuttle to disaster areas, headquarters to manage distribution, and "acting drivers" who also unload and distribute the supplies, are indispensable. Civic Force has partnerships with large moving companies which deploy fleets of trucks around the country.
Medical experts who provide emergency medical care for the injured are indispensable in the event of disaster. In order to rescue as many people as possible, we work closely with hospitals and carry out rescue activities and medical care.
Each local municipality has its original disaster prevention plan based on its regional characteristics of landscape and climate. When a disaster occurs, the disaster areas and communities must work in close cooperation with the Disaster Response Headquarters, which centrally controls distribution of information, issuance of evacuation advisories, guiding people to evacuation areas, assessment of damage situation, and delivery and distribution of relief supplies. The basis of Civic Force's activities is supported by close partnerships with the local municipalities, which can quickly obtain human resources, supplies and information.
When a disaster strikes, a great number of people fall into critical situations and shortages of shelters and tents occur in many cases. There are also needs for resting spaces for medical care, fire-fighting and administrative staff who work around the clock for restoration, counseling rooms for people who need mental care, and meeting places for the disaster-stricken communities. When such needs arise, we are ready to provide earthquake-resistant, mobile living spaces by utilizing trailer houses and container houses.
In disaster situations, supply shortage of every commodity such as water, food, clothes and daily necessities is expected to occur. The key to emergency relief is how fast the commodities that sustain the life of the victims can be secured and supplied to the victims in ways that match their needs. We are entering into partnerships with many enterprises, aiming for provision of relief supplies that better meet the needs of the disaster stricken areas.
At disaster sites where various emergency situations arise simultaneously, it is difficult for the administrative authorities alone to adequately meet the needs of the victims. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), which can act independently, voluntarily and flexibly, played an active part on the front lines of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Civic Force attaches great importance to working in close cooperation with experienced NGOs in each field.
When a large disaster occurs in Japan, what just one person or organization can do is very limited. Once a disaster strikes, the Civic Force Headquarters will set up a volunteer-operated Telephone Center, to accept the donated supplies and money and match them with the needs of the disaster stricken areas. To help as many disaster victims as possible, we are also looking for volunteers who will call for support through Twitter, Facebook, etc. from home and abroad. Your power of support in emergency situations can save the people in disaster areas.