【UPDATE】 The volunteer effort in Kumamoto City has been postponed until further notice.

Information about volunteering has been released!

Apparently there have been numerous inquiries from people in other prefectures, but because damage can still occur due to the (seemingly never - ending) aftershocks, they are asking people to wait until Thursday the 21st, when they will officially begin accepting volunteers. If prep goes smoothly, though, they may open it sooner.

The volunteer activities are expected to be centered around clean up of fallen items in homes and other debris. Mashiki plans to match volunteers with the kind of work they want to do as well as provide materials and transportation to and from the sites.

They haven’t decided where the volunteer HQ will be yet, but they’re currently working on reaching out to residents at evacuation centers to see who needs what kind of help as well as ascertain which locations are safe enough for volunteers to go to.

Higashi-ku in Kumamoto is also setting up a volunteer HQ at the Higashi-ku Jimusho and will be accepting volunteers (both individuals and organizations) from within Kumamoto Prefecture starting tomorrow, the 16th, until Wednesday, the 20th. They are also accepting requests from residents in need of assistance. Volunteers are asked to gather at the Higashi-ku Jimusho by 8:30 am, after which they will be transported to the homes of those who need help cleaning up (mostly the elderly and handicapped individuals).

The number to call for more information is ０９６（２８２）８３７９

Address for the center : 熊本市東区錦ヶ丘1-1

Parking is limited, though, so they ask that everyone take public transportation if they can.

-Sara