18:00 01/05/2024 Updated
On 1 January 2024 at 16:10 (JST), Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture was struck by a devastating earthquake of magnitude 7.6. We would like to express our sincere condolences and sympathy to the people affected by the disaster.
Receiving many inquiries from our partners and friends abroad about the situation on the ground, we would like to provide you with updates and share information regarding donations.
[Table of Contents]
- The Current Situation and Impact
- ETIC’s Response to This Disaster and Its Assessment of the Needs on the Ground
- The Use of Funds
- How to Support
1. The Current Situation and Impact
As of 16:00 on January 5 (JST), at least 94 people were killed in Wajima City, Suzu City, Nanao City, and other cities, primarily due to the collapse of houses and buildings. On top of this, 242 people in Ishikawa prefecture remain unaccounted for.
The impact of the earthquake has led to the evacuation of at least 33,252 people to 395 designated evacuation centers, as directed by local authorities in Ishikawa prefecture.
In the coastal city of Suzu in Ishikawa prefecture, Mayor Masushiro Izumiya reported to news outlet Kyodo that approximately 90% of homes in the city had been “completely or nearly completely destroyed.”
In response to the disaster, the Japanese Government invoked the Disaster Relief Act for 35 cities, 11 towns, and 1 village across four prefectures, namely Nigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui, to coordinate national-level relief operations.
2. ETIC’s Response to This Disaster and Its Assessment of the Needs on the Ground
In October 2021, ETIC launched the Disaster Relief Fund Project with 16 intermediary organizations across Japan to create a network that can support each other in times of disaster. Starting with the 2021 Atami landslides, the project has assisted in the aftermath of the torrential rains in Murakami, Niigata and Akita prefectures, and the 2023 Ishikawa earthquake.
In response to the recent Noto Peninsula earthquake, ETIC is committed to providing funds, human resources, and networks over the medium to long term with Misogigawa, one of our partner organizations operating in the Noto, Ishikawa.
Misogigawa has been a partner organization of ETIC for over 20 years and has a team of about 10 employees. During normal times, they are involved in supporting SMEs and community development in the Noto area.
The organization is currently housing over 100 evacuees in its facility, providing food and emergency living assistance to the elderly, children, and others in need. In addition, it serves as a hub for gathering information to coordinate the flow of human resources to support recovery efforts and supplies from NPOs and companies in urban areas, including ETIC. However, the immediate challenge is that they need someone to handle these responsibilities.
Considering the population and household composition, the Noto region, where the disaster struck, has a higher percentage of both elderly people and elderly individuals living alone compared to the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. In the long run, the recovery efforts should not only focus on rebuilding housing and stores but also be concerned with the welfare and health, as well as accessibility and mobility of the residents within the community.
From our experience with past disaster relief efforts, including the Great East Japan Earthquake, it is clear that local intermediary support organizations like Misogigawa play a crucial role in the recovery efforts.
3. Use of Funds
The funds will be used for two main purposes:
(1) Provide grants to local intermediary support organizations that are engaged in emergency relief, recovery, and revitalization efforts in the wake of the Noto Peninsula earthquake.
(2) Expenses for personnel to be dispatched to the local intermediary support organizations (personnel and travel expenses, etc.)
The specific action plan is as follows:
■ Short-Term Emergency Support (Up to 3 months)
・Support for basic needs, such as food and supplies, for the evacuees (including the elderly and children) at shelters (as mentioned earlier).
・Dispatch coordinators from our national network to Misogigawa: Starting next week through the end of March, ETIC will send approximately 5 to 7 personnel on a rotating, week-by-week basis to support Misogigawa. Their main roles will be to conduct needs assessments, coordinate the inflows of resources from companies and local governments, assist with documentation, and implement planning.
■ Medium to Long-Term Support (1 to 3 years)
・ETIC will provide grants and personnel to Misogigawa as they work on rebuilding the community and SMEs in the Noto region. The detailed use of the funds will be determined in phases based on the results of the needs assessment and in line with the above objectives.
Based on the scale of this disaster and our past experiences in supporting disaster recovery, we estimate that medium to long-term economic recovery in the region through local intermediary organizations like Misogigawa will require fundraising of approximately 100 to 200 million yen over at least three years.
To date, we have raised 11,202,624 yen from 1,165 donors through the fund as of 16:00 on January 5 (JST). In addition, many organizations and individuals are considering corporate donations, employee donations, and material support.
4. How to Support
Overseas companies and individuals can donate through Every.org or Benevity, otherwise send directly to ETIC’s bank account.
If you have any questions regarding your support, please do not hesitate to contact us at the information provided below.
Email: info@etic.or.jp
Mitsuhiko Yamazaki,
Director of International Partnerships at ETIC
