Stories from the Field 0

“Thank you, Japan!”
—Water pumping and restoration works by a Japan Self-Defense Forces unit at primary and middle schools damaged by torrential rains in Djibouti—

The JSDF unit carrying out pumping at the middle school with the cooperation of local Djiboutian authorities (Photo: Ministry of Defense)

With local students in front of one of the reopened schools (Photo: Ministry of Defense)

On November 21, 2019, torrential rains deluged Djibouti, a country located in the Horn of Africa, causing significant damage. Djibouti is normally a low rainfall country; however, heavy downpours over three days at an amount approximately three times that of the country’s average yearly rainfall resulted in about 250,000 people falling victim to flood damage. Consequently, roads in the city were destroyed, electricity supply was partially stopped, and other unforeseen situations arose.

Under these circumstances, a unit of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) deployed in Djibouti for anti-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden carried out an International Disaster Relief Operation in response to a request from the Government of Djibouti. The activities took place over seven days from November 26.

The JSDF unit mainly worked at primary and middle schools in the capital, Djibouti City. With almost no pumping or drainage facilities available at the schools, the grounds, which were surrounded by concrete walls, were completely submerged, and the buildings were also flooded. This inevitably led to the schools’ closure. The JSDF unit undertook water pumping and restoration works after surveying the status of damage at four schools within the city. The work was carried out using drainage pumps, which had originally been equipped for maintaining the facilities of the JSDF base.

Lieutenant (Lt.) NOMURA Tatsuya, who was in command during the water pumping, describes their activities as follows. “We have Djiboutians working with us at the JSDF base, so the unit members participating in the project did so with the hope of repaying the kindness shown by the people of Djibouti, who are always taking care of us. Although we did not have adequate equipment for such heavy rainfall, we sought the best equipment we could onsite under such restrictive conditions while pumping works progressed.”

With the goal of removing the trapped water in the school grounds, the JSDF unit worked in shifts of approximately twenty people each day, and pumping was completed at two schools in six days. After the water was removed, the unit members cleaned classrooms by hand, aiming to reopen the schools as soon as possible. A total of about 230 JSDF members was engaged in pumping approximately 1,950 tons of water from the schools. The unit also transported emergency relief goods in their vehicles, distributing approximately 4.3 tons of tents, blankets, and other items provided by the Government of Japan through JICA to victims of the flood.

Lt. Nomura adds, “We carried out the work in collaboration with local waterworks staff, the fire department, police, and other personnel. There were times when the language barrier made communication difficult; however, since everyone shared the same goal of reopening the schools, we all worked our hardest to communicate with each other through body language and gestures until the job was done.”

The unit’s efforts paid off as the schools were reopened on December 1. The pumping and restoration works were carried out under the watchful eye of the residents of the community, including children, with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior of Djibouti visiting the site and personally expressing their appreciation to the JSDF members working at the time.

When the JSDF members went into town after some weeks since the completion of the emergency disaster relief operations, they received lots of cheers and encouragement, with cries of, “Thank you, Japan!” from residents who recognized the figures of the JSDF from the Japanese national flag. Lt. Nomura reflects on that time. “I realized once again that we were acting as representatives of Japan.” He concluded by adding, “It brings me a great sense of pride that we were able to contribute to furthering the friendly relationship between Djibouti and Japan.”