HIROSHIMA, Japan - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided $100,000 to support the humanitarian assistance efforts of Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) for the people in western Japan affected by severe flooding and landslides.

PWJ has been providing emergency relief in affected cities such as Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture and Mihara and Kure in Hiroshima Prefecture. The USAID funding will enable PWJ to expand its distribution of relief items and its mobile clinic operations in those cities.

“This vital funding from USAID will allow us to reach out to the people heavily impacted by the disaster,” said Peace Winds Japan’s Director of Domestic Operations, Hiroshi Kunita. “Our team has been working in the field from day one, deploying a search and rescue team to transfer stranded hospital patients to safety and providing basic commodities to evacuees. As thousands of people are still unable to return to their homes, it is our upmost priority to provide the care and support they need.”

Heavy rainfalls hit western Japan and caused floods and landslides throughout the region earlier this month. The widespread disaster killed more than 220 people in 15 prefectures and at least a dozen people are still missing. Millions of people were ordered to evacuate and there are still over 4,000 people residing in evacuation centers two weeks after the disaster.