All Hands Project Tohoku

All Hands Volunteers has established Project Tohoku to provide assistance following the great earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Honshu. We are working in the communities of Ofunato and Rikuzentakata on the coast, 400 km north of Tokyo.

Click here to see a map of Ofunato. The sea enters a long estuary lined closely on both sides by mountains. Low-lying areas along the water were hit by the tsunami which roared up the estuary and even into parts of the town to the north. Our base in town is located near Sakari station. Sakari is marked on the map.

Current projects include mucking out houses to remove ceilings, floors, walls, and mud. Also... cleaning out the storm drains and canals in affected areas in preparation for the rainy season, clearing debris from rice fields, and doing odd jobs where the heavy equipment can't be brought to bear. And we've sent a team to camp at a location further north to offer a bit of help there.

Damaged Area along the estuary

A ton of work has already been done using heavy equipment and large areas have been cleared and the scrap metal piled up awaiting removal. Power lines are being replaced by crews and the water system is being repaired. Many people whose houses remain partially standing are alreadyngutting them and patching things up.