Laundry businesses in quake-hit Kumamoto wash evacuees’ clothes for free
The Disaster Sentaku Assistance Team, a volunteer network launched after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, works with local businesses to provide the service.
Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan is offering laundry services for free to people displaced by last month's magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Since August 7, White Express dry cleaning and laundry chain laundry facilities in the Miyahara district of Hikawa town have been collecting bags of clothing from evacuation centers every morning and washing and drying over 1,000 items each day.
Hiroaki Sekihara, the 36-year-old head of the facility, said they felt obligated to give back to the community during this difficult time. Employee Kiyomi Matsumura, 53, returned washed clothes to an evacuation center and was thanked by a staff member. Employee Mihoko Tsukamoto, 64, said they wanted to help displaced people whose homes were destroyed and who couldn't even take a warm bath.
The initiative is led by the Disaster Sentaku Assistance Team (DSAT), a volunteer network of professional cleaners that was formed after a strong quake hit the Noto Peninsula in January 2024. The DSAT collaborated with a laundry and dry cleaning industry association in Kumamoto to encourage local businesses to participate. Yuichi Nakamura, the 42-year-old head of the DSAT, explained that maintaining a hygienic environment in evacuation centers is crucial, especially under scorching heat.
The DSAT is seeking more support funding to continue the laundry service as long as there are requests.
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