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Rotary International 2530district community service committee

   Japnese

The Earthquake, NuclearAccident, and the Women of Fukushima

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One of the Support Activities in Fukushima
                           Shoko Yamazaki (Aizuwakamatsu City)


In the March 1 1th earthquake, the water heater on the roof of the hotel I own broke off, and hot water flooded the building. Fortunately, there were no guests in the rooms, and the employees were not injured. The guest rooms were flooded, and we could do nothing at the time for fear of electrocution.

The first thing to do was to call our scheduled guests and cancel their stays/ party reservations. Three staff members were calling over and over again to booked guests, apologizing for cancelling their reservations. If there were guests who still wanted to visit, we asked the city Hotel and Ryokan Association to find them other accommodations.

In the lobby of the hotel, which had no electricity, heating, or water, we thought about how we would be able to reopen under these circumstances. I had retired from my position as chairman, and my son-in-law had just recently taken position as president. Understanding that neither one of us could do anything on our own, we went together to the bank two days later in order to procure the necessary funds.

By the time ten days had passed, we had set up a small water heater, checked the electricity, and begun to open the rooms which had not been damaged.

Sometime soon after the earthquake, I was glad to receive a phone call from Ms. Ishizaki of the International Women's Association and Nerima Gender Studies Society, who wanted to know if we were interested in helping distribute relief supplies. So I called the Human Rights and Gender Equality Section of the Fukushima Prefectural Office. They asked us to serve as a reception center for the supplies, and also distribute them. They entrusted me with this duty because I was a chairman for the Fukushima Women's Group Coordinating Committee at that time.

Transporting good from the Tokyo area was difficult, because the roads had been cut off by the earthquake, so the goods were sent through Niigata. When we received the supplies in the morning, I called the members of a local women's group to come. Members came in the morning to deliver the hot meals; some cancelled meetings to come, some came with their husbands in the family car, and some came by taxi, because their cars had no gas.

We delivered the goods we had sorted at the hotel to five prefectural high schools gymnasiums, the Aizu Wakamatsu City Gymnasium, and the Aizu Junior College Gymnasium, which had become shelters for the people who had been evacuated with nothing but the clothes on their backs. After the hotel reopened, I sorted the supplies at home. The supplies included women's sanitary goods and underwear, and cough drops, as I had requested. I delivered the supplies from the candy and fruit shops to children. I also distributed pork miso soup and vegetables in a large pot.

I am also involved in community development, and started the "Cheer up Fukushima Project". The event has been held three times, in April, June, and October. Furthermore, some groups to which I belong have made strong efforts to collect donations from their members and local residents. I also conducted the "Healing Room", where people can consult with professionals.

Signs of recovery can be seen in the areas that were damaged only by the earthquake. But the more we find out about the nuclear accident and the radiation leakage in Fukushima, the more unclear the future becomes. I also visited Iidate Village and Soma City, from which people had been evacuated. I feel depressed thinking about how long the effects of the accident will continue.

If we only say that no visitors will come because of the damage to Fukushima's reputation, it really will become impossible. Here in Aizu Wakamatsu, which did not suffer any radiation damage, we should do our best to encourage tourism!