An apple orchard in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, which was damaged by record heavy rain, temporarily stopped accepting volunteers due to the recurring rain, but resumed on the 20th.
Due to the heavy rains at the beginning of this month, water overflowed from the Iwaki River and Hirakawa River in Hirosaki City, and many of the apple orchards using the riverbed were submerged.
The city accepted disaster volunteers from the 6th of this month and proceeded with the restoration work, but the work was not possible due to heavy rain, and the acceptance was temporarily suspended.
After that, as the weather improved, the acceptance resumed from the 20th, and about 75 volunteers from inside and outside the prefecture cleaned up at seven apple orchards in the city.
Among these, at the apple orchard in Sanseji Temple in the city, volunteers collected driftwood and apples soaked in water, and removed garbage entangled in trees.
A third-year high school girl who participated said, "I think it's quite difficult for farmers to work alone in the heat, so I'd like to continue participating in the future."
A female apple farmer in her 50s also said, "It's a big help because the apple orchard is so large that it's hard to clean it up."
Hirosaki City will continue to recruit volunteers at the City Volunteer Center.