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【JPN Relief-88】Repairing "Invisible" Damages in Misato, Miyagi
29 March, the first family for the Home Repair project started its work in Misato, Miyagi prefecture.
Misato is a town located inland and escaped the tsunami that followed the great earthquake in 2011. However, the size of the quake hit Misato was bigger than other coastal areas. While more attention and assistance by government and other aid organizations have been given to the people living in the coastal areas affected mainly by the tsunami, Habitat Japan's assessment showed that inland communities like Misato holds many families living in houses damaged by the earthquake, still today.
The Atsumi family, father, mother and a daughter, lives in the central part of Misato. From the outside, only visible damage is with the cement block fence that surrounds the house. Some parts fell completely down and what's left is still shaky, posing danger to the facing street often used as a road to school by young children. However inside the house, there are many large cracks on almost every wall. The Atsumi's had contractors to repair some parts right after the disaster, yet the family's budget went so far as temporary quick fix due to the rise of the demand in construction market and irregularly high price at the time. Because the house is tilted, doorways and fixtures are not well fitted anymore, leaving spaces for the wind to pass through. "The heat escapes so fast, it is very cold during the winter," Atsumi says.
After the assessment and estimating of the needed work, Habitat Japan decided to select the Atsumi's as a home partner in this project. 41 volunteers have participated to work on this house to reform the interior walls, install new flooring, paint the bathroom and repair the fixtures. Atsumi told Habitat Japan "we had no choice but to live in this condition all this time, we are very thankful for the assistance."
Once you step outside the Atsumi's house, all you see is a peaceful residential and farming land that you see in any other parts of Japanese suburbs, with no visible trace of the disaster three years ago. Though it is commonly expected for the disaster hit areas to recover over time, some people can afford to move faster than others like the Atsumi's. Habitat Japan's plan is to assist 20 families to move forward through this project.
