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More than 1,100 meals and other necessities were distributed in Sendai on March 23. Treats were given to the 83 children who went to the distribution. Power and water have now been restored in Sendai so The Salvation Army is likely to end its distribution there, although it may continue to provide assistance to needy areas north of the city.
The story is similar in Yabuki-cho, where Major Kenji Fujii and Captain Kazuyuki Ishikawa met the mayor, who reported that many houses that look fine from the outside actually suffered significant damage and will have to be demolished. Recently installed water pipelines for agricultural usage were destroyed, leading to the loss of the next rice harvest—a significant part of the area’s economy.
The Salvation Army emergency team left goods in storage, to be used as necessary. The community was also given a clear message that The Salvation Army would provide support in the future if requested.
At Iwaki-city, which is just outside the 30-kilometre exclusion zone from Fukushima, a team of seven Salvation Army workers distributed 500 hot meals and 6,000 bottles of water in response to a request from the director of the emergency response volunteer desk.
Kesen-numa—about 120 kilometers (approximately 74 miles) north of Sendai—was badly damaged by the tsunami. The corps officer from Sendai contacted a minister in Kesen-numa and discovered that the community needed support. It has been arranged for two Salvation Army emergency teams to carry out daily distributions of food and other necessities from April 12-15.
Thirty kilometers (approximately 19 miles) northeast of Kesen-numa is the coastal community of Rikuzen-Takada, which was badly damaged by the tsunami. A Salvation Army team distributed hot meals and water on April 5. While there, team members investigated how the Army can offer further assistance.
From www.salvationarmyexpectchange.org/
