FY2020 Disaster Volunteer Center Establishment and Operations Training 〜 Strengthening the Mutual Support Agreement Among the Nara City, Kurashiki City, and Kochi City Councils of Social Welfare

Now that disasters occur almost every year, for the social welfare councils that open disaster volunteer centers, government agencies, and residents, disasters are no longer “something that happens somewhere else,” but “a reality we must keep in mind.”

In preparation for such situations, on Monday, November 23, 2020, the social welfare councils of Nara City, Kurashiki City, and Kochi City signed an “Agreement on Mutual Support in Times of Disaster and Other Emergencies.”

To strengthen their cooperation, staff from the Nara City Social Welfare Council and the Kochi City Social Welfare Council also took part in the “FY2020 Disaster Volunteer Center Establishment and Operations Training.”

Here is a look at the day.

Nara City, Kurashiki City, and Kochi City Social Welfare Councils: “Agreement on Mutual Support in Times of Disaster and Other Emergencies”

On the morning of November 23, 2020, the social welfare councils of Nara City, Kurashiki City, and Kochi City signed an “Agreement on Mutual Support in Times of Disaster and Other Emergencies.”

Guests included Kurashiki City Mayor Kaori Ito and Toshiro Ogawa, Executive Director of the Okayama Prefectural Council of Social Welfare (representing the chairperson).

Yasushi Nakagiri, chair of the Kurashiki City Social Welfare Council, said, “I hope the signing of this agreement will help us build strong ties among the three cities.”

The agreement has two key points.

• When a large-scale disaster occurs, support operations by rushing to the affected area immediately
• The three cities are more than 100 kilometers apart, making it unlikely that they will be affected by the same disaster at the same time

Operational support will likely focus on running disaster volunteer centers (“volunteer centers”), but some may wonder, “Isn’t there already a system for government agencies and other social welfare councils to provide support during disasters?”

It is true that there are mutual support agreements among social welfare councils within each prefecture, as well as a “block dispatch” system within the Chugoku Block of social welfare councils, to provide wide-area support to social welfare councils in disaster-stricken areas; support is also sometimes provided nationwide across block boundaries.

During the July 2018 Heavy Rain, social welfare councils from within the prefecture as well as from the Kinki and Chugoku regions provided support in Kurashiki.

However, it takes time to coordinate staff dispatches, as each party must first agree on whether and how to provide support based on the needs of the affected area. This makes it difficult to provide support immediately after a disaster, when help is most needed.

This agreement among the three cities is a unique initiative. Its key point is to act to support disaster-stricken areas before dispatches through existing systems take place.

Disaster Volunteer Center Establishment and Operations Training

After the signing ceremony, the three social welfare councils held an information-sharing meeting, followed by the “Disaster Volunteer Center Establishment and Operations Training” in the afternoon.

Opening Remarks

At the beginning of the event, Shinji Kawahara, Secretary General of the Kurashiki City Social Welfare Council, gave opening remarks and shared the purpose of the training.

Lecture: “The Significance of Social Welfare Councils Taking the Lead in Operating Disaster Volunteer Centers”

Hirohiko Yamashita of the Hino Volunteer Network gave a lecture on “The Significance of Social Welfare Councils Taking the Lead in Operating Disaster Volunteer Centers.”

During the July 2018 Heavy Rain, Mr. Yamashita also took part in support activities as a member of the “Disaster Volunteer Activity Support Project Meeting (Support Project: a network organization bringing together businesses, social welfare councils, NPOs, and community chest organizations)”.

Before introducing the lecture, let’s briefly explain what a social welfare council is.

A social welfare council is a private, nonprofit organization with a high degree of public and community benefit. It works with local residents to consider the various welfare issues that arise in the community and, with the cooperation of people involved in health, medicine, and welfare, as well as government agencies, aims to “build communities where everyone can live safely in a familiar place for as long as they wish.”

Source: Kurashiki City Social Welfare Council website

I myself misunderstood this at the time in 2018, but social welfare councils are not government agencies; they are “private organizations.”

In other words, they operate according to the principles of the private sector, and their employees are not “public servants.”

Furthermore, it is not formally stipulated that “disaster volunteer centers are operated by social welfare councils.”

So why are disaster volunteer centers operated by social welfare councils?

Here are a few key points from the lecture.

• Disaster support means supporting affected communities and residents
• Operating disaster volunteer centers is not the exclusive domain of social welfare councils; cooperation and coordination are essential

For example, social welfare councils communicate with residents who need daily-life support even in normal times, and they are the ones carrying out activities rooted in the local community.

When a disaster occurs, attention often focuses on physical work such as removing debris, but it is necessary to support survivors over the long term, staying by their side until they can regain their former lives, routines, and community ties.

This is why social welfare councils came to take on the operation of disaster volunteer centers.

What is expected of social welfare councils in disaster volunteer centers is not to do everything themselves, but to bring their collective strength to bear through cooperation and coordination as a “council.”

When I served as a specialist at the Kurashiki City Disaster Volunteer Center, I helped set up ICT equipment and introduced online volunteer registration using Peatix. This is exactly the kind of example being discussed.

In an emergency such as a disaster, social welfare council staff may also be affected.

I felt that it is important to support the community as a “team.”

Simulated Disaster Volunteer Center Setup Exercise

Next, after a brief explanation and guidance on points to note, including the use of ICT tools, the exercise began.

The scenario was as follows.

Day 4 after the disaster [Tuesday, July 10, 2018]: The location for the disaster volunteer center headquarters has been decided, and it has been determined that the center will open the following day. Participants will simulate discussing and confirming role assignments, duties, and preparations for the opening the next day.

Assuming that the disaster volunteer center would be set up “starting tomorrow,” participants split into groups for each base (satellite site) and discussed and decided what needed to be done.

The scenario was based on the July 2018 Heavy Rain, but one difference from the actual situation was the COVID-19 pandemic: instead of “everyone involved gathering in one place,” groups were dispersed, with the sites connected remotely (via a network).

Each group discussed matters at its site, then reported back.

• The expected number of volunteers greatly exceeds the number of requests for support, so we would like to conduct a “needs assessment”
• We would like to send staff to other sites
• How should we secure the communication lines needed for sharing information?

A variety of reports were made. During the exercise, there were also mishaps that could happen in a real situation, such as “the communication line going down,” but participants worked seriously throughout.

From the Writer

Two years have passed since the July 2018 Heavy Rain.

The town has largely returned to its former state, and residents are gradually returning. However, many lots remain vacant, and the scars of the disaster are still visible. Not all residents have regained their “former lives.”

The Kurashiki City Social Welfare Council operated a volunteer center until March 2020, changing its name from the “Kurashiki City Disaster Volunteer Center” to the “Mabi Reconstruction Support Volunteer Center.” It continues to provide ongoing daily-life support through the Kurashiki City Mabi Mutual Support Center.

At the same time, it is also carrying out activities in parallel to prepare for “the next time a disaster occurs.”

I think the agreement on mutual support in times of disaster and other emergencies will strengthen cooperation among social welfare councils and speed up the “initial response.”

However, we cannot leave everything to others. There are many things about our community that only we know, or that only we can decide.

When I was involved in disaster volunteer work following the July 2018 heavy rains, I heard someone say this:

The basic order of disaster support is “self-help → mutual help → public assistance.”

Disaster volunteer centers run by social welfare councils fall under mutual help and public assistance.

But if someone asks, “Does self-help mean you have to handle everything on your own?” that is not what it means.

I believe that learning about your community and getting involved in its activities on a regular basis expands what you can do.

Social welfare councils are also organizations that carry out and support these kinds of activities. I felt that we could strengthen our community’s disaster preparedness by making good use of them.

Articles about the Kurashiki City Council of Social Welfare

Get handpicked articles from Kurashiki Tocotoco on LINE