Foreign nationals support one another following quake in Kumamoto

Many foreign residents in Kumamoto Prefecture, hit by a major earthquake late last month, are supporting one another as some hesitate to go to evacuation centers or struggle to obtain information on relief supplies due to language barriers and cultural differences.

In the city of Yatsushiro, where the quake registered a strong 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, a vehicle carrying emergency food and drinking water arrived on Aug. 6 in front of an apartment complex where many foreign trainees live.

Around 30 people gathered to welcome the vehicle. “I’m very happy because I was getting short of food,” said a 22-year-old Indonesian woman.

The relief supplies were delivered by the Vietnamese association in Kumamoto, which offers consultations on daily life to Vietnamese people living in the prefecture.

“Unlike in Japan, people in Vietnam don’t really have the habit of going to evacuation centers,” said Le Thi Tram, head of the association. “Because of the language barriers, many people hesitate to go to evacuation centers or don’t know where to go.”

Following the quake, many Vietnamese people spent the night outside their homes — lying down on plastic sheets outdoors — as they feared buildings might fall down.

The association, established in 2022, is connected via Facebook to some 300 Vietnamese residents in Kumamoto, nearly half of the total Vietnamese population in the prefecture.

It began delivering relief supplies after being contacted by people seeking help following the quake.

On Aug. 6, the association traveled to the cities of Yatsushiro and Uki and delivered supplies to around 200 foreign residents.

Tram, 48, and others have been delivering supplies to foreign people — regardless of whether or not they are Vietnamese — who tend to fall through the cracks in getting public support.

“The latest earthquake showed us various challenges that need to be addressed,” Tram said. “Through our daily activities, we hope to start from conveying what it means to evacuate.”