KUMAMOTO, Japan: More than 1,200 disaster relief volunteers have joined recovery efforts in Japan’s southwestern Kumamoto Prefecture following a magnitude-7.1 earthquake that struck the region on July 28.
According to the Kumamoto prefectural government, 1,293 volunteers had registered by Friday after municipalities began accepting volunteers earlier this month. Disaster volunteer centers have been established in 11 municipalities based on local requests, with 10 of them already dispatching volunteers to affected communities.
The 10 municipalities have received more volunteer applications than the number of people they initially sought, reflecting strong public support for the ongoing recovery efforts.
Volunteers are assisting with a range of tasks, including removing earthquake debris and cleaning and restoring damaged homes.
The prefectural government had initially urged people wishing to participate in relief activities to refrain from entering the affected areas until local authorities were prepared to receive and coordinate volunteers.
As of Saturday, the earthquake had claimed 39 lives, while more than 6,500 people remained in evacuation shelters. Around 18,000 homes were reported destroyed or damaged, according to the prefectural government.
Among those volunteering was 58-year-old Risako Matsumoto, who travelled from Iwata in central Japan to help residents in Uki, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake.
Matsumoto said she was using her vacation to volunteer because she frequently visits the region and wanted to help the affected community.
The growing volunteer response is providing much-needed assistance to residents as local authorities continue cleanup, shelter and recovery operations in the earthquake-hit areas.
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