In some places, too much help is a hindrance. Via The Daily Yomiuri: Volunteers in earthquake-hit areas exceed 130,000. Excerpt:
More than 130,000 people have volunteered their time and energy to help with disaster relief in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures since the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey.
During the Golden Week holidays, the average number of volunteers working in the areas each day will likely triple to around 8,000, the survey showed.
Offers of help have been so numerous that some local governments have decided to temporarily stop accepting volunteers--partly because they were not prepared to handle the flood of people expected during the holiday period and also to prevent overcrowding and confusion on the roads.
Social welfare councils in the prefectures that coordinate volunteer activities have urged people to check beforehand on the conditions and needs in disaster-hit areas.
According to the disaster volunteer coordination office of the Cabinet Secretariat, each prefecture has a volunteer center, as do 66 municipalities. In Iwate Prefecture, there are 20 municipal centers. Miyagi Prefecture has 17, and Fukushima Prefecture has 29.
The city government of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, has decided not to accept new individual volunteers during Golden Week. There are more than 1,000 volunteers active in the city each day--the largest number in the prefecture--and the city government said they have more than enough help.
Ishinomaki Senshu University has served as the city's volunteer reception center since March 15. Currently, more than 1,000 people are staying in tents or cars near the center.
The city government was spooked by the prospect of a huge surge in volunteers. Anticipating more than 2,000 people could inundate Ishinomaki during Golden Week, the city government worried whether it would be able to organize them all.
