東日本大震災 最前線レポート4/6

4月5日4回目となる「心も体もあったか号」の運行。小川体育館に避難している400人は、釜石の漁業者が多く、家も船もそして家族の人も失った方々でした。

いつもバスに乗る時、参加者はイライラしています。とても会話が難しい。重苦しさを感じながらスタート。平田、白浜地区の人々は漁業と地域の中で、コミュニケーションが形ずくられていて、次第に会話もはじまる。やはり温泉が効果あります。避難所を離れることも大事です。おいしい食も人に笑顔をもたらします。

小川体育館

今消費と販売の前線で、異常なことが起きています。まず、ヨーグルト、納豆、プリンの販売が再スタートしたのですが、1週間かかって売っていた量を一日で販売してしまう。スーパーでは売っていないのか? まず、原料の手当てができない。私は毎日資材の確保と工場の稼働率、物流の点検を大声を張り上げています。死にもの狂いで働くとはこういうことなのか。

4月6日釜石-遠野間開通。とうとう通った。3月11日の大津波は釜石駅まで押し寄せて、車はひっくり返っていた。陸の孤島から脱出。


English Version:

April 6^th, 2011

On April 5th, we ran our 4th "Cozy and Warm Bus Service Project for the People of Kamaishi". Participants invited today were those who were evacuated to the Ogawa gym. Most of them are engaged in the fisheries industry. They have lost their homes, ships, and even their families.

At the time when participants get on the bus, everyone looks so irritated. It is always difficult to find what to say. The tour starts in an oppressive atmosphere. Communication between the people of Hirata and Shirahama is based on fisheries and local area industry. Conversation starts gradually with time. The hot springs help people to open up. It is important to sometimes get away from the evacuation centers. Delicious food also brings a smile to everyone's face.

Currently, something abnormal is going on in the front lines of consumption and distribution. Sales of yogurt, natto, and pudding has restarted. The volume of sales which took a week to sell is now sold in a day. Don't they sell any at supermarkets? First, we can't prepare the ingredients. I am screaming out to obtain materials, check the capacity rate of our factory, and manage the distribution. I have come to know for the first time what it is to work frantically.

The railway between Kamaishi and Tono has reopened at last. The huge tsunami surged over Kamaishi station, turning cars upside down. We are finally able to escape from being an isolated land.