Although the quake shook Ichioseki city a lot, Ichinseki city, city officials and citizens are doing their best to help victims of the quake and the tsunami from neighbor cities, Rikuzentakada of Iwate-ken and Kesen'numa of Miyagi-ken.
Ichinoseki city has prepared two evacuation centers which can accommodate 180 evacuees from Rikuzentakada and Kesen'numa. It will prepare another 12 evacuation centers to accommodate about 1000 evacuees.
It has prepared 500 city-provided housings and other housings for employment promotion. Evacuees can use them free until they move to provisional housings.
It is trying to set up a volunteer center in Daito Development Center and Senmaya Minami Exchange Center, where about 100 volunteers can stay.
Yesterday I visited Sun Abilities Ichinoseki, one of evacuation centers in Ichinoseki, and talked with evacuees there from Rikuzentakada and Kesen'numa.
Japanese Red Cross Society provides blankets, heaters and meals for evacuees there.
I met a family from Motoyoshi, Kesen'numa, Miyagi-ken.
They are husband and wife with 2 kids, 3-year old boy and 19-year old Collage student. When the quake hit Tohoku region on March 11th 14:46, the husband, whose company is in Ichinoseki, was working in Ishinomaki, he telephoned his wife and told her "Take kids and run away to Ichinoseki!"
Their house, their nursery school and their collage were washed away.
There are no school there!
A lot of parents lost their kids.
A lot of kids lost their parents.
Evacuation centers are important.
Housings are important.
Schools for kids evacuated will be important.
We soon have to receive them to schools in ichinoseki, where they can learn with teachers and friends.
