Page 13 - TORCH #18 - May 2021

or declared missing in Minamisanriku and around 75% of the town’s buildings were levelled to the ground.
one week later he would be leading a team halfway around the world to help the people of Japan in their time of need.
“Their expertise was amazing, and they had everything up and running at record speed."
The devastation Minamisanriku suffered was replicated in towns throughout Japan’s eastern coastline. However, we
are choosing to highlight Minamisanriku because it is the first place in Japan
where an international field hospital was established. And as you have probably guessed, the first country to come to Japan’s aid was Israel.
Japan was overwhelmed by the
tragedy and needed international help.
The problem was that Japan was low on medical supplies. There was no reason for teams of people to arrive in Japan if they didn’t have the equipment to treat people, so the Japanese government instructed international teams to only come to the country if they could bring equipment with them. The only team who could quickly do this was the tiny nation of Israel.
In a short interview in 2011 before going on the mission, he said: “The events in Haiti, as well as our extensive experience dealing with mass casualty incidents,
Leading the Israeli team was Dr. Ofer Merin from Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. Ofer, a specialist in disaster treatment, was part of Israel’s team to Haiti following a devastating earthquake in 2010. He also had experience dealing with terror victims in Israel. The week before he departed for Japan, for example, he
was treating dozens of Israeli casualties following a terrorist bombing at a bus station in Jerusalem.
have given Israeli medical personnel
an important advantage when it comes
to setting up these field hospitals and providing comprehensive support and care for those who are desperately in need.”
Little would Ofer have known that just
Minamisanriku was the location chosen to assist and the situation was desperate. Roads were either blocked or destroyed, the power grid and cellular networks were down and the water supplies disrupted. Japan’s armed forces had reached the area,
“We are prepared for a scene in Japan unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. But we are very confident that our resources and experience will allow us to offer a valuable contribution at this critical time.”
CUFI.ORG.UK 173