KumamotoVolSory1 (4).jpgStory from Sumire Takemura:
Sumire is a Habitat for Humanity Japan campus chapter member from Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University. She was born in Kumamoto where recent earthquakes caused heavy damage, including a magnitude 6.5 earthquake on April 14, followed by a stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake on April 16. She now lives in Oita, next to Kumamoto, where the main earthquake struck. Sumire says it is hard to forget the fear she felt on that day.
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On April 14, as soon as I received the emergency earthquake message on my mobile, I felt the big shock. I turned on the TV and tried to get information, and I found out that the epicenter was in Kumamoto, where my family lives. I rushed to ring my mother, and I was able to get through to hear her saying "I am fine and how are you, Sumire? You need to place yourself somewhere safe!!!"
As I was terrified and worried about my family, I could not sleep at all that night. The following day, my mother drove to Oita to see me, I was relieved to see my mother, but we did not know that a bigger shock was about to strike. I do not think that anybody could have imagined that the big earthquake that hit on April 14 was just a foreshock.
After midnight of April 16, I was awoken by the biggest quake I had ever felt. As I live closer to the sea, I soon remembered the terrible scenes of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the tsunami that followed it in 2011. "Mom, let's evacuate to the mountain side!" I cried out. My mother and I rushed to the car and tried to drive as far as possible from the sea.
At the same time we also felt strong anxiety for my grandparents in Kumamoto, and I called my grandfather. "Help, help, everything is falling down!" he said. "I do not what to do!"
I never heard his voice uneasy and weak before. I tried to calm him and said to him, "You do not have to bring anything, please evacuate from home with grandma now, please!!!" Speaking with my grandfather on my mobile, and evacuating from a possible tsunami with my mother, I felt helpless against the threat of this natural disaster. Finally I received information about the closest evacuation center through an SMS message, so we drove to the evacuation center and stayed overnight.
After those quakes, I was too shocked to understand what had happened in my hometown, and it was too painful to see my damaged home where I had grown up. As I am a campus chapter member of Habitat for Humanity Japan, I always thought about volunteering, but I needed to get over what I had experienced. Soon I heard that Habitat Japan was heading for Kumamoto, and would be stationed in Nishihara in Kumamoto Prefecture to help those affected.
"As I was born and raised in Kumamoto, I should do anything I can for Kumamoto!" I thought. This was my motivation, and I did not need any other reason to join the team. I was pleased to know Habitat was joining the relief operation and I decided to join the pilot volunteer team from my campus chapter.
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Sumire and the team worked in Nishihara, Kumamoto to help clear debris at several damaged houses on May 7 - 8. While there, Sumire and the team met one woman who lost her house; they saw her damaged home torn down by heavy machinery.
"She was just watching her house as it was being torn down. It was so hard for her, so I approached and spoke with her. She smiled at me and thanked me. How helpless I felt, but this was all I could for her," Sumire said after her time there. "I have to share my story, and what I experienced as a volunteer. That is what I can do for Kumamoto and the people there now."
Habitat Japan is mobilizing youth volunteers to support those who were affected by the quakes. They are delivering information related to the revitalization of homes while supporting operations at the Nishihara Disaster Volunteer Center.
The disaster response program in Kumamoto is supported by numerous donors, including Alwaleed Philanthropies. Habitat for Humanity Japan wishes to thank Alwaleed Philanthropies for their support during this time of crisis. This disaster response will continue until the end of July, with the aim to support the rebuilding of homes and communities in Nishihara.
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2016.05.12 【Kumamoto-1】Responding to earthquake in Kumamoto