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We go as many times as it takes
NCGM responds to 3-11
- On March 11, 2011, the Tōhoku region of Japan suffered a great earthquake, which, in turn, caused a tsunami and a nuclear meltdown; that was a triple disaster that etched 3-11 firmly into Japan’s collective memory. The NCGM immediately dispatched a disaster rescue team to the area. While many relief organizations at that time only dispatched their rescue teams for a week at a time, then-NCGM President Kirino Takaaki told his team to “stick around and continue to help, even if you have to brown-bag it.”
- More than 1,000 lives were lost in Higashi-matsushima city. Just when the city was looking for organizations that would provide medium-to-long term relief, a chance encounter was able to connect the two, securing continued support for Higashi-matsushima. The NCGM’s Bureau of International Health Cooperation, with its 30 years of experience in international cooperation, advised local healthcare centers about public health management, coordinated with the Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital’s Disaster Management Center, and created and adjusted support plans for rescue teams dispatched by the National Hospital Organization. The Higashi-matsushima rescue team consisted of the NCGM hospital staff members who were in charge of treatment; they have continued to provide support to that city since then.
An ambulance dispatched by the NCGM
NCGM staff examines people at a shelter