Joe Tomei again. Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott also had a section about volunteering in areas struck by the recent flooding. As I’m sure there are people on this list who might be interested, I pass this on, though their advice is directed for JET participants (who are prefectural employees).

A note on volunteering in the flood recovery efforts Due to restrictions on volunteering (volunteers must live in Kumamoto Prefecture), more people are still desperately needed to help in the recovery effort as volunteers in affected areas. For instance, prefectural employees are now being actively asked to go help volunteer on their days off.

The exact procedures on volunteering vary slightly from location to location (Arao, Ashikita, Kuma Area etc.) but in general, volunteers gather at a local Volunteer Centre where they sign in early in the morning (from 9am), sit through a brief Orientation (if it is your first time), and then go into a room in which they are matched with requests (you first listen to explanations of the request in Japanese, and then raise your hand if you are interested in going to that particular site).

In Hitoyoshi, most requests for volunteers are taking over two weeks to be met and work has been completed in less than 10% of cases in which a homeowner requested volunteer help. The Hitoyoshi Volunteer Centre is also dispatching volunteers to Kuma Village, where the floods were particularly deadly.

Some Japanese ability is required when volunteering (Japanese is used when buying the volunteer insurance upon entry, then filling out various paperwork, listening to the volunteer orientation, listening to case requests and then later negotiating with your volunteer team about how to get to the requested site and how to divide up the work). It is advisable to team up with someone with Japanese ability if you are interested in volunteering. Most cases require scooping out dirt out from under affected homes, so bringing your own rain boots is a must. Other supplies such as shovels are provided by the volunteer center. You are also expected to bring your own lunch to the site you are volunteering at (an onigiri or sandwich is fine).

Buses departing 7am each morning to local volunteer centres in Hitoyoshi and Sagara Village are available. Seats must be booked in advance. Information on bus services is available here in Japanese: https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_34462.html (Already fully booked for this weekend.)

If you decide to drive to a volunteer centre and use toll roads on your way directly to the volunteer centre, the toll is waived if you submit the correct paperwork to the toll booth operators. You must print out the papers before going to volunteer. The fee is waived for volunteers going to anywhere in the prefecture (Arao, Ashikita or Kuma area). You can find information about the procedure and the paperwork here on the NEXCO hompage: https://corp.w-nexco.co.jp/newly/r1/0830/

Information about volunteering in Ashikita Town in particular is available on the Facebook Page of the Ashikita International Association here: https://www.facebook.com/AshikitaInternational/posts/2001379829994845

(note: if you do volunteer and would like to share your experiences to the list, please feel free to send them to me as a message and I will post them.)