The disaster sent large numbers of people fleeing to evacuation centres and temporary housings, in what was expected to be a prolonged displacement.
Therefore, improving the living conditions of those evacuees have consistently been a major concern of the local authorities. By complimenting the efforts of the Government, which provided basic infrastructure, the JRCS assisted to establish the basis of life for those affected people who move towards recovery. The funds were allocated to the following major activities.

Summer amenity items to distribute to Fukushima in July 2011. (c) JRCS

241,016 sets of summer amenities such as cooling sheet, cool towel, etc. for heat stroke prevention, insect repellent net and spray, etc. for insect control measures (43 items) were provided to 163 locations throughout Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima in July 2011. Tea and rehydrating drinks were distributed to 6,100 people for heat stroke prevention and water taps for water supply facilities from July to September 2011. They contributed to improve the living environment and to protect the evacuees’ health.
Target area: Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima
Target of people assisted: evacuees in the evacuation centers
Number of items provided: 241,016 items to 163 locations (38,461 items for Iwate, 129,654 items for Miyagi, 72,901 items for Fukushima)
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 13,000

A family receiving an electrical household appliances package in April 2011. (c) JRCS

The JRCS donated sets of electric household appliances (refrigerator, washing machine, rice cooker, TV, microwave oven and electric hot-water dispenser) to the affected families, and they contributed to make a healthy and cultural living in temporary housings.
Donations of these items could be the first step forward to recover their daily lives for those who lost their basis of living. As the targeted recipients of these items were scattered in all over Japan, tremendous cooperation and commitments by the concerned local governments and household appliance manufactures made it possible to speedily hand them over in a short period of time.
Target of area: Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Aomori, Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Nagano
Target of people assisted: residents in the prefabricated temporary housings
Number of electric household appliances sets were provided: 133,183 households
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 324,000

Community bus donated by JRCS in September2011 (c) JRCS

As many temporary housings were located far away from their city center, some means of transportation had to be temporarily created until the public transportation system was restored. The JRCS organized Free Bus Operation as a means of transportation for schooling, seeing a doctor, and going downtown for shopping, etc. and covered their costs. This enabled the residents living in temporary housings to go outside easier and maintain their interpersonal relationships among the residents.
Target area: Miyagi and Fukushima
Target of people assisted: residents in the prefabricated temporary housings etc.
Number of community bus operations supported: 3 routes in 2 towns, Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi and Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima.
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 300-2,400

Psychosocial support activities promoted interchange between residents in April 2017(c) JRCS

Ten years have been passed since the disaster; many beneficiaries moved out from the temporary prefabricated housings to the municipal and other housings. Although, they still look forward to participating in activities that have been promoting an interchange between residents in the affected area. Simultaneously, the staff from Iwate Chapter continued an individual visit to the residents in the temporary housing to inform their activities and listen to their current condition and problems.
Target area: Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima
Target of people assisted: residents in the prefabricated temporary housings.
Number of events held: 651 events with 8,029 participants in Iwate and 174 events with 4,932 participants in Miyagi.
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 8,500

Participants enjoying Nordic style walking in March 2011. (c) JRCS

For the residents in prefabricated temporary housings in Iwate and Fukushima Prefecture, Nordic style walking was organized as an event. This is expected to have the effect of providing an opportunity for the participants “to acquire regular fitness habits to maintain and promote good health” as well as “to facilitate communication in the community of residents in prefabricated temporary housing”.
Target area: Iwate and Fukushima
Target of people assisted: residents in the prefabricated temporary housings.
Number of events: 363 events with 2,956 participants in Iwate and 77 events with 2,857 participants in Fukushima
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 5,800

Health class in Fukushima in May 2016 © JRCS

Various activities, such as Red Cross First Aid classes, soup kitchens, exchange meeting and handicraft courses have been carried out in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures.
Target area: Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima
Target of people assisted: residents in the prefabricated temporary housings etc.
Number of activities held: 179 activities with 4,907 participants
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 153,600

A JRCS nurse is listening to health concerns of an evacuee at her home in January 2017. (c) JRCS

Namie Town, Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture is one of the municipalities where the evacuation order was issued for the whole town and its residents were all forced to move to evacuation shelter. The residents in Namie Town moved and stayed inside and outside Fukushima Prefecture. This made Namie Town very difficult to reach and provide their townspeople with proper administrative services. The JRCS nurses, on behalf of namie Town, carried out Health Survey for Namie townspeople who moved to Iwaki Town to check up their health conditions.
Target area: Fukushima
Target of people assisted: residents of Namie Town who evacuated in Iwaki City.
Number of people reached: 5,560 households, 12,286 people
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 12,286 (5,560 households)

Constructed Disaster Recovery Public Housing in March 2017. (c) JRCS

In Otsuchi Town, Iwate, almost 60 percent of the houses were destroyed by the tsunami. The disaster recovery public housing project aims to provide inexpensive rental houses for those who cannot afford to rebuild their own houses. A total of 463 housing units were constructed in Otsuchi Town and contributed to their lifestyle stability and supported the regional communities
Target area: Iwate
Target of people assisted: elderly who lost their housings in the disaster.
Number of Disaster Recovery Public Housings constructed: 463 housings
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 700 - 1,800

Opening ceremony of the Community Centre in Kawauchi Town, Fukushima in January 2012. (c)JRCS

The JRCS supported the construction of two prefabricated community centres in Ishinomaki and Togura, Miyagi where the community centre were affected by the tsunami, and one in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture where the residents from Kawauchi who compelled to evacuate due to the Nuclear Power Plant accident evacuated with the relocation of the function of Kawauchi municipal office. Those constructed community centres provided the spaces where beneficiaries can get together and participate in various community activities.
Target area: Miyagi and Fukushima
Target of people assisted: residents in Ishinomaki, Togura and Kawaushi.
Number of community centres constructed: 3 community centres (Ishinomaki and Togura in Miyagi and Kawauchi in Fukushima,)
Number of people assisted (estimated): approximately 800-1,400 in Miyagi and 400-800 in Fukushima