When a City That Received Support Becomes a Supporter

In July 2018, Hiroshima suffered extensive damage from the heavy rains in western Japan. Supplies arrived from across the country, medical teams rushed in, and water supply vehicles were deployed—now, the city that was once on the “receiving end” is sending trucks to Kumamoto.

A taxi company is directly delivering relief supplies using a 20-ton truck. The nursing association is dispatching disaster relief nurses to areas outside the prefecture. Staff from the water supply corporation are entering the disaster-stricken areas with water supply vehicles. While these actions may seem disparate at first glance, what they share is not just the story of “delivering goodwill,” but rather the design of a system that repurposes existing operational infrastructure for disaster relief.

From Hiroshima to Kumamoto—let’s decode this flow of support from the perspective of the functioning systems behind it.

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The “Another Function” of the Taxi Company

Tsukame Kotsu, based in Hiroshima City, is a local transportation business that operates taxis as part of its daily operations. However, during the disaster, the company mobilized not taxis, but a 20-ton truck.

The background lies in the logistics infrastructure that taxi operators possess. Vehicle maintenance facilities, dispatch management know-how, and driver operation management systems—these are designed for passenger transport but can structurally be repurposed for cargo transport. Tsukame Kotsu redirected this “another function” toward disaster relief.

They loaded food, drinking water, and hygiene supplies collected within Hiroshima Prefecture onto a 20-ton truck and sent it directly to Kumamoto. The 20-ton capacity is overwhelmingly larger than the amounts that can be transported in a single run by typical 2-ton or 4-ton trucks. Considering fuel and labor costs, bulk transportation using large vehicles is also rational from a cost-efficiency perspective. The distance from Hiroshima to Kumamoto is approximately 400 km, taking about 5 to 6 hours one way via the highway. The fuel costs for a round trip alone, considering the price of diesel, would amount to tens of thousands of yen, but it is certainly more efficient than making multiple small runs.

Here, it is worth pausing to consider why a taxi company owns trucks. Many taxi operators possess medium-sized or larger trucks for vehicle maintenance and parts transport. Alternatively, they may have a group company that also engages in freight transport. In other words, the logistics framework is already embedded within their daily operations. The ability to make the decision to “repurpose” this during a disaster is where the design of the system lies.

A representative from Tsukame Kotsu reportedly said, “If we can help even a little.” While this statement is modest, what actually moved was 20 tons of supplies and the operational management system supporting it. The contrast between the warmth of the words and the scale of the mobilized system reveals the reality of the support.

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Dispatching Disaster Relief Nurses—The Decision-Making Structure of “Who, How Many, and When to Send”

The Hiroshima Prefectural Nursing Association is implementing the dispatch of disaster relief nurses to Kumamoto. Disaster relief nurses are part of a system certified by the Japan Nursing Association, where registered nurses from prefectural nursing associations work in medical institutions and evacuation centers in disaster areas. It is estimated that over 10,000 nurses are registered nationwide.

The key to this system lies in “how to make dispatch decisions.”

Requests for dispatch arrive from the disaster area through the prefectural nursing association to the Japan Nursing Association. The Japan Nursing Association assesses the disaster situation and selects the prefecture from which nurses will be dispatched. The Hiroshima Prefectural Nursing Association selects personnel from registered nurses who possess skills and experience that match local needs, typically dispatching them for a rotation of about 3 to 5 days.

What is important here is that the dispatched nurses do not go on a “volunteer basis” but are “selected within the system to go.” Of course, the individual’s willingness is a prerequisite, but the decision of who to send is based on the medical needs on the ground—whether acute care is needed, whether chronic disease management is the focus, or whether sanitation management in evacuation centers is a priority. It cannot operate solely on individual enthusiasm. The necessary capabilities must be delivered to the necessary places for the necessary duration. The precision of this process affects the quality of support.

Among the nurses dispatched from Hiroshima, some have personal experiences of being affected by the 2018 heavy rains in western Japan. They understand where the anxieties of disaster victims lie and what tends to break first in evacuation center life—sensations that cannot be fully captured in manuals. This structure of “accumulated experience being incorporated into the system” gives a unique depth to the dispatch from Hiroshima.

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The Wide-Area Operation of Water Supply Vehicles—The Significance of Water Supply Corporation Staff Entering Disaster Areas

One of the most urgent infrastructures during a disaster is the supply of water. From Hiroshima Prefecture, water supply vehicles from the water supply corporation have been dispatched to Kumamoto. Staff from Etajima City participated in the water supply activities on-site.

The dispatch of water supply vehicles is carried out based on the mutual support agreement of the Japan Water Works Association. Water supply entities across the country have established agreements to send water supply vehicles and personnel in response to requests from disaster areas. The water supply corporation in Hiroshima Prefecture is operating within this framework.

The typical load capacity of a water supply vehicle is around 2 to 4 tons. The guideline for daily domestic water use is approximately 3 liters per person (for drinking water only), meaning that the water delivered by one vehicle can correspond to a day’s supply for several hundred to a thousand people. However, setting up water supply points, managing the order of distribution, and ensuring hygiene are all tasks that require manpower and on-site judgment in the “last few meters” of delivering water. This is why water supply staff with specialized knowledge accompany the vehicles.

They check the condition of broken water pipes, assess the feasibility of temporary piping, and conduct water quality tests—there is a distance that only experts can bridge between running a water supply vehicle and delivering safe water. The entry of Hiroshima’s water supply corporation staff into disaster areas is not just about transporting water; it also involves technical support aimed at the restoration of water supply infrastructure.

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The Common Structure Among the Three Supports—How “Everyday Systems” Support the Extraordinary

The logistics function of the taxi company, the dispatch scheme of the nursing association, and the mutual support agreement of the water supply corporation. When we line up these three supports, a common structure emerges.

None of these are “new systems created for disaster.” They repurpose infrastructure, systems, and personnel that already existed within daily operations for extraordinary situations. The trucks of the taxi company are already at maintenance facilities. Nurses work in medical settings on a daily basis. Water supply vehicles are operated as part of normal water supply operations.

This “repurposability” is the core design philosophy of Hiroshima’s support system. A system maintained solely for disaster situations becomes a cost during normal times. However, if support functions are integrated into the extension of daily operations, they can function in both normal and emergency situations. This dual structure enables sustainable support.

And one more thing—the significance of Hiroshima having the “memory of the support it received” is not insignificant. From the volume of supplies that arrived from across the country during the 2018 heavy rain disaster to the number of people who rushed in, how that support was delivered, and what was lacking. The experience of being on the receiving end enhances the precision of those providing support. What is needed, what is excessive, and what loses meaning if it misses the timing of delivery—only those who have once received can know this.

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Who Does This Make Comfortable?

When discussing support activities, terms like “community bonds” and “spirit of mutual aid” are often used. Of course, this is not untrue. However, goodwill alone cannot make a 20-ton truck run, nor can it organize a schedule for dispatching nurses. It also cannot manage the water quality of a water supply vehicle.

Let’s rephrase the question—”Who does this make comfortable?”

Bulk transportation by a 20-ton truck reduces the burden of acceptance on the disaster-affected side. Receiving a large quantity all at once is easier for sorting and securing storage space than having small amounts arrive intermittently. The dispatch scheme for disaster relief nurses alleviates the burden on medical institutions in the disaster area to “find people.” Personnel with the necessary skills are selected and sent within the system. The presence of water supply staff accompanying the water supply vehicles creates space for technical staff in the affected municipalities to focus on recovery work.

Each of these systems is designed not as a “beautiful story of those providing support,” but rather as a means to “reduce the burden on those receiving support.” Here lies the quiet rationality of Hiroshima’s support.

In the future, if such systems are to be further refined, it will not be sufficient to rely solely on technological innovation or institutional reform. The very process of “converting the experiences of those receiving support into the design of those providing support” that Hiroshima has already begun will become the necessary knowledge for support networks nationwide.

The essence of disaster relief is not merely delivering supplies but being able to imagine what will happen once they arrive. The trucks from Hiroshima are running with that imagination on board.