In New Jersey: The relief efforts in New Jersey were truly only focused on the physical damage that the storm caused. While this kind of relief aid is extremely invaluable, it only solves half the problem. The kind of aid that most locals who we interviewed responded to was on a small scale. Many had issues with the large government organizations and subsidies. Either the amount of money being received was too low, or the process of receiving it was too complicated. The family we interviewed who lived on the barrier islands on the shore only talked positively about the food that the Red Cross was handing out or the toilets that were brought. This kind of local small scale relief is what seemed to resonate with citizens on the Jersey Shore after Sandy. It is important to remember however that while Hurricane Sandy was devastating it did not cause as much destruction and damage as the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan. This means that the Japanese had to implement much larger relief projects.
In Japan: It seemed from all the interviews we conducted in Japan that the relief effort had a mix of social and physical aid. The government not only made temporary houses for displaced citizens, but also implemented programs to work on community building. The Japanese government even gave each preschool in the areas around the nuclear plant a machine to measure radiation, and in Fukushima City there were multiple signs in the ground saying the amount of radiation measured there. The government is obviously trying to put people’s mind at ease, but every person we interviewed about the nuclear accident stated that they didn’t trust the government or TEPCO (Tokyo Elextric Power Company). This mistrust causes social issues within a community and is what caused a lot of these nonprofits and NGOs focused on radiation to form. From the people we interviewed, the community building efforts of the the local government seemed to resonate with victims the best, but victims did not respond well to the governmental programs for financial aid.
Block of temporary housing in Aizu, Japan
Red Cross volunteer bringing meals to locals on the Jersey Shore <http://www.tomlibous.govoffice.com>