‘Preparedness crucial for disaster management’

Islamabad : Pakistani ambassador to Japan Imtiaz Ahmad has declared preparedness crucial for the effective management of natural calamities.

“Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Japan, so both the residents and authorities have prepared themselves for them in order to reduce their impact. Not only have the residents adequate knowledge but technologies and building codes are there as well to minimise the damage caused by them and ensure smooth relief and rehabilitation operations. We need to replicate the key lessons learned from the Japanese relief operations. In my opinion, preparedness for disasters is the key [to their effective management],” the envoy told an online session marking the 10th year of the Great East Japan Earthquake 2011.

The International Press Division at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged the event, where two Japanese people of Pakistani origin, including Anees Raees and Ramzan Siddique, who took active part in relief operations, also showed up.

The ambassador said the 9.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Tohoku region of Japan in March 2011 was the largest recorded by Japan that causing 16,000 deaths and $200 billion damage to the infrastructure.

He said both Pakistani embassy and expatriates participated in relief work.

“Soon after the earthquake caused large-scale devastations, we established an emergency cell in the Pakistani Embassy, Tokyo, and flashed our cell numbers on Pakistani TV channels for earthquake victims and their families based in Pakistan. We listed missing Pakistanis and began contacting them on phone and traced them all. We got permission from the Japanese foreign office’s permission to reach out to Pakistanis stuck in calamity-hit areas for food and repatration.”

The ambassador said the embassy also sent seven teams to the affected areas for relief activities. “Wherever we went in Sendai, Morioka, Ishinomaki, Kesennuma and Fukushima areas for relief operations, Pakistanis joined us. Many went there even without informing us. They delivered relief goods and cooked meals for the residents,” he said.

According to him, resident Anees Raees of Pakistani origin set up a kitchen in Ishinomaki and cooked food everyday for the 1000 people until May 20, 2011, while another expatriate, Ramzan Siddique, prepared lunch boxes for 800 people and delivered them to the earthquake victims in Ishinomaki, more than 420km from Tokyo.

Humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi wanted to visit Japan along with his wife and son for relief activities but the Japanese authorities didn’t allow them citing the emergency situation as the reason.

Iwate Takenori Noda, the mayor of Kamaishi, which was one of the cities badly hit by 2011 earthquake and tsunami, praised the help and support of Pakistanis in relief work.

He also spoke on the current situation and challenges involved with the reconstruction of his city and said rehabilitation and rebuilding was almost complete, while infrastructure restoration would take few months to finish.

The mayor declared the devastation caused by the calamity an ‘opportunity to reemerge from crucial situations with national unity, teamwork and commitment’.

He said the national and local governments collaborated during the last 10 years to help the people pick up the threads of life yet again.

The mayor said the local government had established many mental health centres with certified psychologists, psychiatrists and clinical facilities post-disaster and was taking initiatives to prepare the city for future disasters.