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Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief Report
Thank you for your prayers for Japan in the midst of this horrendous earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor calamity. As of this writing, the confirmed dead has risen to over 3700 with nearly 8000, including 500 foreigners, still missing and feared swept away by the tsunami. But officials say that no information is available yet for some villages, so these figures will certainly rise dramatically as the scope of the disaster continues to unfold. The homeless number 434,000, forced to live in temporary shelters.
An American missionary friend of mine, whose church is 30 km from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant that is in danger of a meltdown, has a church member who used to work at the nuclear facility. The member relayed that the situation was worse than what was being reported and advised all to evacuate. My friend held Sunday worship service on 3/13, told his church members to leave the area, then escaped himself with his wife and 5 children. The next day, the 2nd and 3rd explosions took place, and everybody rushed to leave! But the gasoline quickly ran out, and the cars that didn't have enough fuel ended up stalled on the roads!
We are instituting a 2-pronged emergency relief effort to help victims of the disaster. The first effort will concentrate on sending relief teams into the afflicted area, taking needed food, water and emergency supplies. The second will send financial aid. I have contacted an NPO organization in Tokyo that has already sent in two teams. I will be going with them on their next trip, God willing, leaving on Friday, March 18, one week after the earthquake. We will not go through the radiation-affected area.
According to the NPO organization that has sent in two teams, the victims they helped hadn't hardly eaten since the earthquake. Some hadn't heard whether their family members had survived or not. Many had no clothes except what they wore when they escaped. The generator the team took in was a great blessing because the people could recharge their spent cell phones for the first time since the disaster. Many were overjoyed that they could finally make contact with their families.
One of the relief directors in Sendai City said they were the first outsiders to come and offer help. They got there on the 4th day. Their assessment of the situation was that the scale of the calamity is so vast, the national and prefectural government offices are overwhelmed just trying to grasp the damages, resulting in many victims still not receiving aid. So there is a real need for volunteers to go in and reach these untouched survivors.
By working with this NPO, we will be able to have a working link with the authorities, definite places of great need at which to work, a well-defined relief plan, a list of needed emergency materials, and an already working logistics support network.
If any organization would like to work together with us or help with funds, please contact us at:
Email: elmerinafuku@gmail.com
Church Tel: (81) 3-3371-7558 (Shinjuku Shalom Church)
Cell phone: (81) 80-6787-0007
Thank you so much for reading this long letter. May God bless you as we all seek to live to help others.
Praying for Japan,
Elmer Inafuku
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