UN Disaster Risk Reduction Conference — Local Volunteers #1
- At July 27, 2016
- By anneblog
- In Annes Letters
0
Dear Family and Friends,
As I mentioned in a previous letter, there will be a UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai from March 14-18.
Representatives from over 130 countries, along with their families, are expected to attend. That means that probably anywhere from 6000 to 8000 visitors will flood this city. Because of recent terror problems, security will be very tight. Of course, the UN will have its own defense force and Japan’s military will also be here.
Of course, official preparations have been going on almost 7/24 from the start. One of the most impressive aspects of this enormous project is the uniqueness of the top manager. (Unique for Japanese culture, that is.) First, Hidetaka Yanatsu, who has been overseeing the entire planning, from beginning to end, is young. In addition, he works not from a vertical sense of hierarchy, but rather from a horizontal dynamic that entails listening respectfully to others from all levels of the social ladder. He not only works with committee members (His desk is almost lost among a sea of computers), but also takes his precious time to give speeches and to participate in the training of volunteers. He is a warm and very approachable man. Unquestionably that spells success for this highly significant happening in Sendai.
Another of the beauties of this conference planning is that local people have been involved from the beginning. For one, there was a call for English-speaking locals to act as volunteers. These people might be housewives, retirees, company employees, or university students. Their duties will range from greeting people at the airport or train station, helping visitors find their way, assisting in an emergency, to being guides for the many tours being offered.
Also residents from every section of the city have been asked to inspect and upgrade, if necessary, all the evacuation centers in Sendai and the surrounding areas. This happens on a regular basis, of course, but now it is being done with a view to open these centers for tours.
Sendai has an abundance of these evacuation centers. They may be schools, sports complexes, hospitals, temples, or shrines. Some are high up, others are lower down. The latter are much more vulnerable to tsunami, of course. But even so, they are vitally important.
One committee member gave me a detailed explanation of what this preparation meant. He told me the locals were conducting an inventory of all the evacuation centers in each area. Each committee was responsible for getting its places up to standard. First, there needs to be a room (or rooms) large enough to hold many people.
Then there is drinking water and food delivery. How much and how often will they be necessary? Roll up mattresses and blankets are also important, as are toilets and water for washing. How about generators and efficient lighting? And not to forget space heaters, loud speakers, and bulletin boards. How can people get the news? And how can families contact one another? The list goes on and on. It is ordinary citizens, supported by the city government, who are doing this work. It is long and tedious, but it is engrained in everyone’s psyche here that you must work for and with the whole if you wish to survive.
Training the average person in what to do in emergencies is just as important as well designed and properly equipped buildings. So, on a regular basis there is a citywide Disaster Preparedness Training Event. With that kind of instruction and practice, citizens will hopefully know just what to do. And then they should be able to respond automatically and without panic when a disaster strikes.
Since this message is getting long, I will close for now. But in a future letter I hope to tell you about the year-long training that volunteers have undergone to prepare for the March 2015 UN event, almost four years to the day since the devastating earthquake and tsunami that changed our lives so profoundly.
Love,
Anne
