Oh, that's right - earthquake

[mshades]

So remember when I said that I wanted to write more than book reviews over here? Yeah, I remember that.... Well, as I have been gently reminded, the recent events in Japan this weekend are pretty good as far as blogging fodder. This is for several reasons: they're dramatic, and I am far enough away from said events that I am not only alive, but

Comments

Donations and other thoughts

[cchan8]

I am really wary of donations. Not only because some of the organizations are known for large overhead costs (every year the federal government has a charity campaign in which we can choose from a catalogue and do paycheck donations; one of the items in each description is the percentage of money that typically goes to overhead). But also because I remember from the '95 earthquake in Kobe that the Japanese government was like, "Thanks, but no thanks." Which wasn't the fault of the people who needed the help.

In particular it was annoying that the US military stationed in Japan could have helped a lot more if the government hadn't been too arrogant to accept help.

I noticed that Obama in his press conference stressed the kind of disaster relief we'd like to provide ("life capacity" etc.); have you heard whether it's being implemented?

I guess for me what it boils down to is this: I'd like to know the best place to donate money where it will really be used. Which international organizations are already actually helping in Japan? There are many who have said they will try to help, but I want to know who's already got boots on the ground and is handing out water, food, and blankets.

Regarding Japanese people being able to pick up and move on, I couldn't agree more. My husband is taking beginner's Japanese and he already knows the word "gambaru" (trying hard) but this weekend I also taught him "gaman" (endurance; patience) and I said these two concepts are really central in Japanese society. Most of the time we'll see most people dust themselves off, get up, roll up their sleeves and clear away the mess and start over. It saddens me that there are some places, like Haiti, where we see people getting mired in poverty even more as a result of a natural disaster.

Re: Donations and other thoughts

[mshades]

Yeah, I remember reading about the government's go-it-aloneness back in '95, but it seems like they've learned that lesson. International aid from the US is already here, I've seen German teams on TV, and even a crew from China has been brought in to help.

I don't have info right now on which groups are actively assisting, but I imagine that'll come out soon and we can figure out who would be the best to contribute to.

Re: Donations and other thoughts

[mshades]

Here's the Google Earthquake/Tsunami page. News, donations via Red Cross, and a people-finder.

http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

Re: Donations and other thoughts

[cchan8]

I was thinking that the Japan Red Cross made more sense than the International or the American Red Cross, but was worried that it would be difficult to donate since their website is probably in Japanese and might not accept foreign credit cards. Google has made it easy, thanks for pointing that out!

Re: Donations and other thoughts

[cchan8]

whoops sorry with the typo -- that should be "lift capacity"