How to help the earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan

By
Jake Semmel
– March 13, 2011Posted in: Destinations, News

As everyone is aware, Japan was hit by a devastating 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on Friday. We’ve been grappling with the images on television and the Internet and our hearts go out to the Japanese people.  We visited Japan in 2005 and had a wonderful experience there.

A temple we visited in Japan

Fortunately, we’ve been able to make contact with our friends living in Japan through Facebook and everyone we know in the region is safe.

It can be overwhelming watching this tragedy on television.  If you would like to make a contribution or otherwise assist those in need, we have compiled a list of organizations that are looking for help.

These are some of the largest and most reputable charities; we will update the list as we become aware of additional organizations.

Where to donate:

The Red Cross: visit the website or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone

Doctors Without Borders: visit the website and click on ‘donate’

All Hands Volunteers: visit the website to make a donation

International Medical Corps: visit the website or text MED to 80888 to donate $10 from your phone

The American Red Cross website accepts donations of $10 or more.

More information:

For those with loved ones in Japan, Google has launched a Person Finder for the Japan earthquake. This free service helps connect people who have been displaced due to the disaster.  On the website, you can both look up or post information relating to someone’s whereabouts in the country.

We have embedded Google’s Person Finder here:

Google also has launched a Crisis Response Page that contains lots of information regarding emergency numbers, travel information, power outages, aftershock warnings, and more.

Travel alert:

You may be tempted to travel to Japan to assist in the recovery. However, this might not be the best way to help.  The US State Department has issued a travel alert urging all US citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Japan at this time.

Officials say that while most airports have reopened and public transportation has resumed, many roads have been damaged and strong aftershocks are continuing.

If you already have a flight booked to Japan, contact your airline for details of their cancellation policy.  Several airlines are offering travel waivers or refunds.

Additional resources:

Do you know of a worthy charity that benefits victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami? If so, please share it with other readers by leaving a comment below.

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About Jake Semmel

I'm a blogger and round the world traveler. I'm always on the lookout for new places to scuba dive, hike and ski.

9 Comments

  1. Reply
    Dave from The Longest Way Home
    Posted March 14, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    Well done Leslie, you are one of the few travelers I’ve known to post about it like this. I’m only just getting online to view the video footage of what’s happened.

    I see people tweeting about top 10 lists,while all this is happening. It’s truly saddening.

    Well done for this post

    • Reply
      Leslie Koch
      Posted March 14, 2011 at 10:18 PM

      Thanks Dave. It’s amazing how devastating this earthquake has been; I hope they get the nuclear situation under control soon. It’s hard to watch the video footage of the tsunami rolling across entire towns. My heart goes out to the victims…

  2. Reply
    santafetraveler
    Posted March 14, 2011 at 1:26 PM

    I called Doctors Without Borders and they were unable to assure me that donations would go to Japan. International Medical Corp had a special fund. Maybe that’s changed since I donated. If you want to make sure funds are heading to Japan, ask the agency, they should be able to tell you.

    • Reply
      Leslie Koch
      Posted March 14, 2011 at 10:12 PM

      That’s a good point. On the American Red Cross site, you can specify you want the donation to go to Japan, but they note that if the donations exceed the need, they will shift the funds to a different cause.

  3. Reply
    Maria A
    Posted March 14, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    I still keep in touch with A3 (Time Inc’s Asian American Association) and they sent out these other reputable charities that will help with the Japan disaster (they also listed the Red Cross but that is already listed in the article above).

    AmeriCares’ Response to Japan Tsunami: AmeriCares emergency team is on full alert mobilizing resources in response to the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan . AmeriCares has dispatched a disaster relief expert to the region to assess the health care needs and is prepared to send medicines, medical supplies and humanitarian aid as necessary. americares.org

    International Rescue Committee’s Response to Japan Tsunami: The International Rescue Committee is dispatching IRC relief experts from its Thailand program to Japan to see how it can assist Japanese authorities in responding to the earthquake / tsunami disaster. The IRC has extensive experience responding to natural disasters and has been a lead organization in relief and reconstruction efforts following the Asian tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake and floods, the Myanmar cyclone, Haiti ’s earthquake and Hurricane Katrina. http://www.rescue.org

    Save the Children’s Response to Japan Tsunami: Save the Children is mobilizing its global resources to respond to the needs of children and families affected by the earthquake and its aftermath, and an international emergency team has been dispatched to assist staff in Japan . savethechildren.org

    • Reply
      Leslie Koch
      Posted March 14, 2011 at 7:05 PM

      Thank you Maria for providing information on these relief organizations. This is so helpful!

  4. Reply
    Ted Nelson
    Posted March 14, 2011 at 8:56 PM

    I visited Japan in 2005 also. I am going to do a post tonight on Japan and link to this site on how to help. Thanks for the resource. I just texted REDCROSS thanks to the 411 on this website.

    • Reply
      Leslie Koch
      Posted March 14, 2011 at 10:18 PM

      That’s great Ted. Every donation counts!

  5. Reply
    ciki/@agentcikay
    Posted March 15, 2011 at 4:13 AM

    Thanks for posting this Les.. my Head Office in Japan was spared but the communication system is in chaos.. sigh.. pray for the people. e

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