Monday, May 23

Living in damaged houses / Disaster victims endure unsafe structures, lack of utilities

Many people are continuing to live in homes severely damaged by tsunami in the March 11 disaster, despite the risk of collapse from aftershocks and in some cases a lack of water and electricity.

Various reasons have kept people in their homes--some cite chronic health conditions while others say the evacuation centers where they took shelter have closed. Many people are living on the second floor of their home, as the first was flooded by tsunami.

Even local governments do not have a full picture of such residents' living environment, and experts warn that sanitary conditions inside the houses will deteriorate in the upcoming rainy season.

Transport company operator Isao Sato, 70, is living with his wife, Kazuko, 62, on the second floor of their house in the Minato district of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Many houses were damaged, some severely, by the tsunami in this seaside district.

Isao and Kazuko removed the mud deposited by the tsunami, which submerged the first floor. However, the ceiling was severely damaged, its heat-insulating materials exposed.

The couple did not go to a shelter because of Isao's chronic rheumatism. He gives himself an injection twice a week and warms his body by a stove even during daytime.

"If I go to a shelter in my condition, we'll just inconvenience other people," Isao said.

His house was judged by the city government to be essentially "destroyed." It trembles and makes loud noises when aftershocks hit.

The Satos sleep in their clothes every night. When they receive quake warnings on their cell phones, they evacuate to the second floor of a large commercial building about 300 meters from their house. "We haven't been able to sleep well because of anxiety," Sato said.

Norihiko Takahashi, 48, farmed wakame seaweed and scallops in Minami-Sanrikucho, Miyagi Prefecture. He left a shelter that closed May 4 and returned home with his wife and eldest daughter.

At one point they stayed in a minshuku inn, but they could not secure a room just for their family.
The Takahashis now live on mats laid on the second floor of their severely damaged house. They have no electricity or tap water, and are living on rationed bread, onigiri rice balls and drinking water obtained from a nearby distribution center.

"We'll live here until we're chosen in the lottery for a temporary housing unit," Takahashi said. "I'll repair this house, even if it's just a little bit at a time."

Read the whole story
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110522002543.htm



Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Marubeni to sell 'power-saving' condos

Marubeni Corp. plans to sell "power- saving condominiums" designed to cope with a possible prolonged power shortage in areas serviced by Tokyo Electric Power Co., sources said.
The condominiums will be equipped with solar power generators and meet the government's goal of cutting power use by 15 percent.

The first eight-story condominium will be built in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo.

The total floor space will be about 5,400 square meters, enough to accommodate 61 households.

The company will soon begin selling units under the plan and residents will be able to move in from April next year.

The condominium's solar power unit will be able to supply 10 kilowatts of power, enough to cover about 15 percent of the power needed for lighting and air-conditioning in communal areas such as elevators and the lobby.

The condominium will be equipped with indoor facilities where residents can grow vegetables. An electric car for car-sharing will be also provided.

Marubeni is considering equipping the condominiums with storage batteries so automatic doors and elevators can operate during rolling blackouts.

From Yomiuri Shimbun  http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/T110522002655.htm

Saturday, May 21

China, SKorea leaders tour devastated Japan region

TOKYO – The leaders of Japan, China and South Korea gathered Saturday to demonstrate their shared desire for Japan's earthquake and tsunami recovery and to smooth out differences over Japan's handling of its nuclear crisis.

Ahead of a trilateral summit, the leaders met in the city of Fukushima, just 40 miles (60 kilometers) from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which suffered severe damage from the March 11 disaster.

The earthquake and tsunami left more than 24,000 people dead or missing and sparked an ongoing crisis at Fukushima Dai-ichi. China and South Korea have been critical of Japan's response to the nuclear crisis, particularly about the release of radiation into the ocean and the monitoring of food exports for contamination.

Japan hopes the visit by the two leaders will help ease concerns and import restrictions on Japanese produce. The summit was expected to focus on the nuclear crisis and ways for each country to help Japan's recovery.

In a nod to local farmers, the three leaders sampled cherries, tomatoes, strawberries and cucumbers grown in Fukushima.

"It was my decision to come to Fukushima," China's Premier Wen Jiabao said. "I come here on behalf of all the Chinese people."



Read the whole story
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110521/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_trilateral_summit;_ylt=AjqLrt4fhILrnuh79F5l49KnxQ8F;_ylu=X3oDMTMwdGlnbjNvBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTIxL2FzX2phcGFuX3RyaWxhdGVyYWxfc3VtbWl0BHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA2NoaW5hc2tvcmVhbA--


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Tuesday, May 10

Japan Earthquake: Two Months Later

Two months ago this week, on March 11, the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck northeastern Japan. As of today, nearly 15,000 deaths have been confirmed, and more than 10,000 remain listed as missing.

In some coastal communities, where the ground has sunk lower than the high tide mark, residents are still adjusting to twice-daily flooding. Many thousands still reside in temporary shelters because their homes were either destroyed or lie within the exclusion zone around the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.

Now that tourism season has arrived, Japan -- especially Fukushima prefecture -- is finding itself hit by yet another disaster: visits to the country have dropped by 50 percent.  A collection of images from the tsunami-affected areas of Japan over the past several weeks.

Read the whole story
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2VYn5p/www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/05/japan-earthquake-two-months-later/100062/



Wakana Kumagai, 6, waits for her mother Yoshiko after visiting the grave of her father, who was killed by the March 11 tsunami, at a temporary mass grave site in Higashi-Matsushima, Miyagi prefecture, April 21, 2011, after attending an entrance ceremony of Omagari elementary school. (Reuters/Toru Hanai)


A cyclist stops to see the road blocked by fishing boats washed ashore in an area destroyed by the
March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Monday, May 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)


A man talks on his cell phone as he sits on a sofa among the rubble in the area devastated by March 11
earthquake and tsunami in the town of Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, on Saturday, April 23, 2011.

Source: the Atlantic
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2VYn5p/www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/05/japan-earthquake-two-months-later/100062/



Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Monday, May 9

Reading of environmental radioactivity level by prefecture: Japan

Reading of environmental radioactivity level by prefecture issued by MEXT, Ministry of education, culture, sports, science, and technology, Japan

For your travel tips if you're considering visiting Japan.

Central and southern part of Japan is safe and unaffected!

http://www.mext.go.jp/english/incident/1304080.htm

Is it safe to travel to Japan?

For those who have postponed their trip to Japan due to the recent earthquake aftermath, here are some sites you may want to look at.

Central and southern Japan is safe and unaffected.

Seeing happy faces of travellers from overseas would be a big encouragement to us all in Japan.


(Related article) Is It Safe To Travel To Japan?

With the recent devastation that has occurred in Japan many tourists may have been put off travelling to this wonderful nation. Whilst the country has not only had to deal with the horrific repercussions of the earthquake and tsunami, fears of rising radiation levels for nuclear power plants have also struck much of the east coast of Japan. However, there are a number of places in this technologically advanced country which remain safe for visitors to explore. And in some ways, providing much needed tourism and therefore funds to this critically injured nation could offer some support which is very much need.
For travellers wanting to visit Japan, the best regions are those in Central and Southern Japan.

Japan travel mate website → http://japantravelmate.com/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-japan/#comment-250

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan website → http://www.mofa.go.jp/

JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) Staff blog in English → http://blog.jtbgmt.com/

Friday, May 6

Thousands of animals still waiting to be rescued in the 20km evac zone in Fukushima

As of Monday, the Fukushima Prefectural Government began taking custody of pets around Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, according to Mainichi News. The initiative is based on the Rabies Prevention Act and mainly covers stray and unconfined dogs. Whether to take chained dogs, cats and other animals will be decided by veterinarians after examining their health. A team of 11 workers, including seven veterinarians, are testing animals for radiation exposure on the spot.

The prefectural government says it will post information to identify pets on its website. Officials also said it will not kill the animals but will try to find new homes if their original guardians fail to show up during a certain period of time. Yesterday, the vets removed five dogs and one cat, all of whom had nearly non-existent radiation exposure levels. Let’s hope the efforts can ramp up significantly to pull many more pets from the approximately 12-mile zone.

Sadly, Fukushima officials have been culling farm animals who are said to be near death since last Thursday.


Fukushima Prefectural Government has set up Fuskuhima Animal Rescue HQ, an initiative to save abandoned pet animals.  Pictures of rescued pet within the evacuation zone are also posted. (Site in Japanese language only)
Fuskuhima Animal Rescue HQ→ http://www.pref.fukushima.jp/eisei/saigai/kyuugoindex.htm


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Thursday, May 5

Number of quake orphans reached 132

May 5 is a holiday entitled "Children's Day" in Japan.

While many children were having a good day at holiday destinations with their family, my attention was drawn to one web-article.

Number of quake-tsunami orphans whose parents are dead or still missing reached 132, and the number is expected to increase.

Compared with the Great Hanshin Earthquake that struck early in the morning, the majority of children were at school on the Friday when the Tohoku earthquake hit and were able to evacuate safely.

However, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is having difficulty collecting information about orphans from local governments in disaster-stricken areas. Therefore, the ministry is sending local government officials from other regions to assist with such efforts.

Special care and financial support for these children is urgently needed.

Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Friday, April 29

Chinese journalists change image of Japan after covering March disaster

BEIJING (Kyodo) -- A number of Chinese journalists saw their long-held negative views about Japan and its people change completely after traveling to northeastern Japan to cover the aftermath of the March 11 quake-tsunami disaster, according to their reports to a recent symposium with university students in Beijing.

Impressed by the orderly and patient behavior of disaster victims and the relatively high transparency of information released, they said they developed a feeling of respect toward the Japanese.

Chen Jie, 38, a cameraman from Beijing News, was one of them. While admitting that he had felt resentment and mistrust toward the Japanese for a long time, he said, "The prejudice that I felt gradually disappeared while I was there, trying to cover the disaster damage."

He was moved, he said, when he saw people patiently queue up in front of shops following disruption to merchandize distribution. He also noted that shop owners had not taken advantage of the confusion to indulge in price gouging and that even family members of those who had died tried to restrain themselves from crying openly during burial rituals.

"I was surprised that I was given priority treatment at a gas station as I had an emergency press pass," he said, showing slide photos of a large number of people waiting for their turn to fill their vehicles.

The story touched on how Self-Defense Forces members gave a salute to dead people before burying them, providing a new image of SDF members, whom ordinary Chinese still tend to view in ways colored by memories of the wartime Imperial Japanese Army.



Volunteers prepare to give out food to people in a school gymnasium acting as a shelter for those whose homes were damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, Japan

Read the whole story
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110429p2g00m0dm008000c.html

Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Thursday, April 28

Tsunami video clip released by Japan Coast Guard, Apr 28

This video was released by JCG, Japan Coast Guard today after a month and a half from March 11.
It was shot at JCG Sendai Air Base adjacent to Sendai Airport.  Cars, buildings... even aircrafts are engulfed by massive tsunami. 




Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

US Red Cross chief struck by tsunami's destruction

TOKYO – The head of the American Red Cross, who has visited earthquake zones in Haiti and China, said Thursday that she was overwhelmed by the "miles and miles" of devastation along Japan's tsunami-battered northeastern coast.

"The (power of the) ocean was just furious. Everything we saw was strewn in small pieces," Gail McGovern said in an interview with The Associated Press at the headquarters of the Japanese Red Cross Society. "When you start walking around, you can see a doll or a kid's bicycle or a teacup. It just strikes home that this is so personal."

Wrapping up a four-day visit to Japan, McGovern said the $187 million received in donations and pledges from the American public for tsunami relief is being used initially to buy essential household appliances for people who lost their homes and are now living in temporary housing.

Gail McGovern, the chief executive officer and president of the American Red Cross looks at a map of affected area in Japan.

Read the whole story
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110428/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_earthquake_red_cross_3


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Sunday, April 24

Australian PM 1st foreign leader to visit tsunami-hit area

SENDAI —
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Saturday visited a Japanese coastal town devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, becoming the first foreign leader to travel to the disaster-hit area.

Her visit to Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, accompanied by Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, followed the deployment there from March 16 to 19 of 75 rescue workers and two search dogs from Australia.

Gillard was briefed by Minamisanirku Mayor Jin Sato on how he survived the disaster at the town’s disaster prevention office building, which was reduced to its frame by the tsunami. A local photographer took a picture of Sato and other officials clinging to the top of the structure while the tsunami engulfed the three-story building.

Gillard also visited a gymnasium being used as a makeshift shelter accommodating about 340 survivors and gave stuffed toy koalas and kangaroos to children, who in return handed her folded paper cranes—symbols of peace.

Recalling her impressions when she saw her first images of the disaster on television, Gillard said she found the scale of the devastation amazing. But she added that nothing compared with seeing the disaster zone at first hand. ‘‘It is miraculous that anyone survived such devastation,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s been amazing to see the spirit of the people…even in such difficult, difficult circumstances,’’ Gillard said, referring to the cheerful atmosphere in the shelter where both children and adults greeted her in English.



Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, accompanied by her partner Tim Mathieson (to her right), holds baby Iori Sato, who was born in March 26, during their visit to an evacuation center in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, on Saturday. Gillard is the first foreign leader to visit one of the areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Read the whole story
http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/australian-pm-1st-foreign-leader-to-visit-tsunami-hit-area

Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Friday, April 22

Fukushima Victims: Many cows and animals are dying...

I saw a very shocking news footage on TV  just now.
Many cows are dying with no food, water, and care.

I knew of the situation from other news sources here and there, but seeing them with your own eyes.... My heart aches so much.

I know that the top priority should be placed on saving human lives, but.... still cannot help thinking that some measures could have been taken for these innocent animals who could not voice their needs.  Be it transferring to other farms or even euthanizing...

"These animals are part of my family," says a livestock farmer crying.  It must be so hard for them to just let their animals suffer and die.

As of today, Japanese government completely banned any entry into the 20km radius evacuation zone.
 
Farmers who entered the zone from time to time to watch over their cattle by risking radiation can no longer feed them....
Many animal rescue volunteers can no longer save stranded dogs and cats.

Animals are also victims of Fukushima crisis.


I could not find the same video footage, but this is what's happening in Fukushima evacuation zone.

It's tough to watch, but we should never forget this reality.



Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

TEPCO should incorporate measures to support workers in nuke plant roadmap

The Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, hit hard by a massive tsunami generated by the March 11 earthquake, has managed to avoid catastrophe thanks to the efforts of workers who are trying hard to place the power station under control.

More than 40 days have passed since the plant was hit by the disaster, and workers' fatigue and stress have certainly reached an alarming level.

It is expected to take six to nine months before the plant can be placed under control, according to a roadmap released earlier this week by its operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). However, it is feared that the work will actually take far longer. Photos taken by remote-controlled robots illustrate severe conditions in the buildings housing the crippled reactors.

Many of the workers are crying out for help. It is extremely important for TEPCO and the government to step up support for employees who are working hard under such severe conditions.

A doctor who inspected TEPCO employees working at the plant has revealed that they are forced to sleep at a gymnasium attached to the Fukushima No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant after working at the No. 1 plant. They cannot take a bath everyday and eat mostly canned and instant food. Furthermore, many of them have been evacuated from their home situated in disaster-hit areas or had their residences damaged, and are mentally distressed.



In this April 18, 2011 photo released Wednesday, April 20, 2011 by Ehime University Medical Department Prof. Takeshi Tanigawa, workers, mostly employees of Tokyo Electric Power Co., engaged in operations at the tsunami-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, take rest inside a gymnasium that serves as their temporary dormitory at Fukushima Dai-ni Nuclear Power Plant in Naraha, 14 kilometers (9 miles) south of the former plant in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. (AP Photo/Ehime University Medical Department Prof. Takeshi Tanigawa)

Read the whole story
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/perspectives/news/20110421p2a00m0na001000c.html


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Wednesday, April 20

Nuclear plant workers at risk of depression, death from overwork

 FUKUSHIMA —
Tokyo Electric Power Co workers engaged in efforts to stabilize the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are at risk of depression or death from overwork, a doctor who recently saw them said Wednesday.

The workers are not only undertaking dangerous work in severe conditions but also feel a sense of moral responsibility as employees of the firm to blame for the nuclear disaster, Takeshi Tanigawa said.

Some of them were also victims themselves of the March 11 quake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear crisis, and faced with the deaths of relatives or friends, the workers are exposed to multiple stresses, he said.

‘‘Many are complaining of difficulty sleeping and the risks of depression and death from overwork will rise further if this goes on,’’ he said after examining some 90 TEPCO workers from Saturday through Tuesday.

At the end of each day, workers are decontaminated and go to the Fukushima Daini (No 2) nuclear plant some 10 kilometers to the south to sleep on the floor of a gymnasium there in sleeping bags with blankets. There are tatami mats on the floor and a sheet to insulate from the cold, he said.

Among the workers was one who was engaged in work around the clock without being allowed to go out at one point, he said.

Read the whole story
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nuclear-plant-workers-at-risk-of-depression-death-from-overwork-doctor


(Comments by an author)
According to a news source I read today, their working condition is really severe.  It says that they are eating canned/packaged food mainly, and haven't been able to bathe during the mission.
THIS HAS TO CHANGE DEFINITELY!





Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

'Invisible' deaths continue at evacuation shelters

With the help of her son, 84-year-old Sai Ito survived the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that swamped their hometown of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture.

Amid the frigid temperature, the son, Akira, 60, and neighbors carried the elderly woman up a mountain, where she was air-lifted by helicopter the following afternoon to a nursing home.

Fully conscious but cold, Sai received intravenous drips and doses of insulin for her diabetes, but she had to go without the medication she used to take three times a day.

Sai kept eating and responding to her son even after she became unable to move. But she died 20 days after the disaster struck.

Her doctor listed the cause of death as disease.

Sai's case is one of the growing number of "invisible" deaths among evacuees who have died after developing illnesses or seeing their pre-existing conditions worsen following the quake.

Read the whole story
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201104190200.html


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Tuesday, April 19

"I love you & I need you Fukushima" by Inawashiroko's

You tube movie featuring a song written for and dedicated to Fukushima and its people.
47 faces representing 47 prefectures of Japan, including actors/actresses, TV commentators, are taking part in singing with good wishes for Fukushima.

Do you recongize some faces?

Comments left are also touching and encouraging.

「I love you & I need you ふくしま」猪苗代湖ズ



Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Monday, April 18

Japan nuclear crisis: the ghost towns inside Fukushima exclusion zone

The dining table is covered with the remains of a meal, four sake glasses and an overflowing ashtray, but there are no signs of life in Tomioka town, just four miles from the critically-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The family that lived here fled in a hurry, leaving their clothes strewn across another room's tatami floor.
Outside, cars stand abandoned in the empty streets while packs of dogs roam, searching for food.
On the edge of town, a dead cow lies by the edge of the road, while another has escaped its farm to stand and stare at our car, one of only a tiny handful to enter the 12-mile exclusion zone around the plant since the evacuation alert was sounded a month ago.



Read the whole story
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8457177/Japan-nuclear-crisis-the-ghost-towns-inside-Fukushima-exclusion-zone.html


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

They need Manpower: so many people are trying to help their restoration, but it is still far short.

In Tokyo, passers-by look as if there was no disaster. But you would soon realize that they are only trying to act as calm as possible.  Strong sense of anxiety persists.


 (The following is the Interview of a Japanese volunteer who visited Ishinomaki, Miyagi.  Cited from Real Voice of Japan http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/)


In the affected areas, victims are worrying, suffering and bearing the pain beyond our imagination. I understood how enormous the damages of this earthquake disaster were after seeing them with my own eyes.


Self Defense Force garrisons, policemen, firefighters, aids from overseas, and volunteer workers like me – so many people are trying to help their restoration, but it is still far short. Manpower is what they need most.




And hands of the people are what they can actually use for the help no matter how advanced the technologies are, and how the communication becomes useful. Hands to remove the mud, hands to make rice balls, hands to carry the supplies, hands to treat patients, hands to hug and hold people in pain – it could be recognized as sharing the pain with body warmth.

You could tell those who are in pain “Don’t worry. Everything will heal easy.” But I realized how important it would be to share the feeling of pain with them by placing the hand on the wound and tell them “I know it hurts, but I’m sure it will heal. Let’s cure the wound together. “


(Read the whole story)
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/2011/04/earthquake-disaster-document-back-to.html





・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Saturday, April 16

Japan's Crisis One Month Later

Japan is just in the beginning of the long term recovery effort from the earthquake that struck off northeastern Japan on March 11.

The crisis alert level from the damage to the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant has now been raised to the highest level of impact, the same as the Chernobyl Russia incident 25 years ago.

Searchers continue to look for the dead, displaced Japanese live in shelters, protests continue over use of nuclear power, Japan's economic engine may be disrupted, the massive cleanup of debris is just underway, aftershocks are feared and many continue to mourn those who were lost.

Japanese Self-Defense Forces cleaned the rooms at the Okawa elementary school in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture. Japan said it was to widen the evacuation area around a crippled nuclear plant to include territory outside the current 12-mile exclusion zone


74 out of a total 104 children have died or have been missing at Okawa Elementary School which was located at lower land in Ishinomaki.  It's shocking to note that the number is equivalent to 70% of the whole student body.


Visit the original site for more photos and comments by Lloyd Young:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/04/japans_crisis_one_month_later.html


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Friday, April 15

Child evacuee from Fukushima bullied amid radiation fears

A child evacuee from an area near the troubled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture was bullied by other children, who taunted him, saying he could infect others with radiation, an education board in Chiba Prefecture said Thursday.

After learning about the incident through an anonymous phone call, the board in the city of Funabashi instructed 83 local elementary and middle schools to tell their students to be kind to the evacuees and be considerate of their feelings.


Read the whole story
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/04/85404.html

Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/



・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Thursday, April 14

Many volunteers risk radiation to rescue animals near Fukushima Daiichi Plant

Many volunteers risk radiation to rescue animals near Fukushima Daiichi Plant.
Now the rescue operations for abandoned animals are underway within 20 km radius evacuation zone.
Towns are totally abondoned due to radiation fears.  Only animals are roaming around.  How sad.


Volunteer rescuers try to rescue dogs


 
CNN news April 13, 2011

 
As a normal procedure, rescued animals are screened for radiation to be accepted.


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/



TEPCO considers plan to remove spent fuel rods from crippled Fukushima plant

TEPCO workers began collecting samples of water from a storage pool at the plant on Tuesday to help assess the condition of the spent fuel rods and the feasibility of the plan.

Under normal conditions, spent fuel rods are kept for many years in the storage pools to cool. They are then placed in airtight steel casks for removal.

But TEPCO is having to improvise a method of moving spent fuel rods that may have been severely damaged by explosions at the reactors.

The buildings housing the Fukushima plant's No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 reactors have all been damaged, leaving storage pools exposed, and equipment normally used in the removal process may also have been knocked out by the explosions.

High levels of radiation are also likely to prove a major obstacle to the removal effort, which sources said TEPCO has been formulating since March.

Read More
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201104130196.html  Asahi shimbum



Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/




・Japanese Red Cross
http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html

Wednesday, April 13

Where Japan stands now, after a month from the quake & tsunami

A little over a month passed since the massive quake hit the north-eastern part of Japan.
Normal TV programs are back now with occasional (well, very frequent) breaking news that report large-scale aftershocks occuring at the affected area night and day.

Shinkansen (Bullet Train) and regular train lines which connect Tokyo to Sendai are now restored and the operation was restarted.

Sendai Airpot that was washed away heavily by the tsunami is also partially restored in a matter of a month, and the first flight to/from Tokyo took off/landed just today with passengers and cargo.

Tokyo Disneyland is to reopen the park from April 15, although the open hours will be limited to 18:00

Yes, we started to hear some news on the brighter side, but this is what the heavily damaged area looks like now even after a month.

 An elderly man observes an area devastated by the giant quake and tsunami in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture,
on Monday, exactly a month after the disaster. AP PHOTO


I've been searching for a single good article in English that well describes where Japan stands right now after a month from the multi-scale disaster hit the nation.  I share the same view with this journalist.

Nation's unpreparedness ahead of disaster is blasted  (Japan Times)


Among all the reliable info in the article, this fact recently revealed was also very shocking to me.

"To top off the seismic impact, a survey by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory revealed that the intense shift of the Earth's crust changed the distribution of the planet's mass. Because of the way the fault responsible for the quake slipped, the Earth now rotates faster, making a day about 1.8 microseconds shorter than before."

The Tohoku earthquake was one for the record books.

Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/

How can we help?

・Save the Children, Japan quake victim
www.savethechildren.org/japanquake


・Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support Website
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Japan-Earthquake-Animal-Rescue-and-Support/207835229228979

Questions and answers: Japan, Chernobyl disasters by AP

Japan raised the assessment of its nuclear crisis to the most severe rating Tuesday, on the same level as the Chernobyl disaster, the world's worst to date.

Here is a good source to clear up some confusion about Fukushima situation and the related info on the assessment and health and safety concerns.

Questions and answers: Japan, Chernobyl disasters
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_15818/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=pZvlStRh



Q1 Has the situation at the Japanese nuclear power plant worsened?

A. No. The heaviest radiation leaks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex occurred in the first days after the March 11 earthquake-triggered tsunami crippled the plant's cooling systems. Workers are trying to lower temperatures in the overheated nuclear reactors, but still don't have full control. Problems persist, like the leak into the ocean plugged last week, but authorities say the radiation leaks are declining.

Q2 If the situation's not getting worse, why did Japan raise its assessment of the crisis?
Q3 So is Japan's crisis as bad as Chernobyl's?

Q4 Then why the same severity level rating?

A. The IAEA defines a level-7 accident as one in which a large amount of radiation is released into the atmosphere, likely harming human health and damaging the environment over the long-term. That threshold is set at several tens of thousands of terabecquerels - a unit of radiation - of iodine-131, a radioactive element commonly released in nuclear accidents. Leaks at both plants have exceeded that limit, but the Japanese government says Fukushima's are still one-tenth of those released by Chernobyl. The possibility Fukushima's emissions could surpass Chernobyl's is considered small, but still a risk until Fukushima's cooling systems are restored.

Q6 Are only people close to the plant at risk?  Did people die?

Answers are found in this website by AP.
Read more:

Questions and answers: Japan, Chernobyl disasters
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_15818/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=pZvlStRh


Here are the latest reports on the quake victims in Japan.  
http://hearthevoicefromjapan.blogspot.com/



・Japanese Red Cross