【JPN Relief-15】Reports from the Volunteers （June 4-5）

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On both June 4th and 5th, Habitat's volunteers worked in disaster areas in Tohoku. The team consisted of 22 volunteers in their twenties to sixties. Besides the wide age range, the team also turned out to be an international one with volunteers from five different countries. The team was divided into two groups; one to work in Ofunato city, another in Rikuzentakata city.
　
In Rikuzentakata, the group cleaned the debris out of rice fields.
Amongst the mud, the debris included cars, bicycles, clothes, stationeries and photo albums; seeing all sorts of things used for ordinary living mixed together seemingly leaving impact in volunteers minds. While the temperature rose up to 30 degrees during the day, everyone endured hard work with their legs deeply in the mud to complete cleaning one whole patty.
　
In Ofunato, the other group worked on the canals.
Without a clear canal for letting out household waste waters, people's lives won't be easy even though they get to return home. It took two days for the group to clear about 40m but the improvement was visible; the clear water stared to flow, volunteers could even find some fish swimming back to what used to be stagnant paddles. During which, the neighboring family requested for our help on moving furniture out of an Inn. It turned out such flexibility by the volunteers could meet a small but a real need of the victims.
　
The next day on the 5th, a few out of the team was sent to clean a house.
After pulling out each nails from the floor, they removed the damaged floor boards to make access to the ground underneath. The target task was to remove the mud covering the entire area with 10cm thickness. Finding the homeowner's items of memorabilia brought smiles amongst the volunteers. The group worked together to completely clear the floor, taking out 30 sand bags of mud.
　

　
Habitat Japan will continue to work with volunteers with a long-term plan for disaster response.
　
　
◆ Back Number
2011.05.20　Volunteer Recruitment Started!
2011.05.14　Disaster Response Team Started
2011.05.03　First Volunteer Team Finished Its Work
2011.05.02　"I Never Imagined that I Would Smile Again"
2011.05.01　What Habitat Volunteers Bring to the Victims
2011.04.30　Children Return to a Cleaned Gym
2011.04.29　Volunteers Taking Action in Tohoku
2011.04.28　First Volunteer Team Heads Out to Tohoku
2011.04.19　Toiletries Delivered to Ofunato city, Iwate
2011.04.13　Toiletries Delivered to Soma city, Fukushima
2011.04.10　Thousands Support HFH's Response in Earthquake-Hit Japan
2011.04.04　Campus Chapters Fundraise for Rebuilding Japan
2010.03.31　Donation from APP Japan
2011.03.14　Donate to Help Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Victims