Disasters Strike Japan
Posted 2011.03.11
By Holly Johns
Past Shipments:
- 2011.08.01 – Send Additional Aid for Recovery
- 2011.07.01 – Meet the Growing Needs for Relief
- 2011.06.30 – Orange Lutheran Sends Relief
- 2011.04.29 – Help Send Medicines and Supplies!
- 2011.03.19 – Send Relief Supplies to Devastated Communities of Japan
In response to the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan and created a massive, destructive tsunami, Giving Children Hope is connecting with partners on the ground to bring relief to the areas most affected.
After traveling to Japan, visiting the most devastated regions of Sendai, Ishinomaki and Rikuzentaka to administer immediate aid, GCHope began sending containers filled with medical supplies, disaster relief items, hygiene products, emergency disaster beds and more.
This is the largest earthquake to hit the region in nearly five years and as the death toll increases each day, GCHope will continue to send aid into this country to provide for the suffering in partnership with Calvary Chapel La Habra, Calvary Chapel Kokubunji, Committed Japan and other organizations centered in Japan.
GCHope is collecting donations to prepare disaster relief items to send once damage and needs are assessed. Please stay updated on current needs and GCHope relief and response efforts as they become available.
Partners
Recipients
Updates & Visuals
Updates:
Shipment Leaving Today!
Giving Children Hope is sending a 20-foot container to Japan this afternoon! This shipment contains emergency disaster beds, medical supplies, hygiene items, and requested cooking equipment to help outfit a mobile kitchen for disaster victims.
Thank you to everyone who made this shipment possible – you are helping the devastated communities with essential items needed to recover!
Emergency Food for Japan
Yesterday, a shipment of dehydrated soups and potatoes began its journey to Japan. The shipment is estimated to arrive later this afternoon.
These food items will be received by Second Harvest Japan and are essential to provide a stable source of nutrients as the farming and fishing communities struck by the tsunami are still trying to recover and rebuild.
Thank you to everyone who made this shipment possible!
Shipment Leaves for Japan
Yesterday morning, Giving Children Hope sent nine pallets of World Beds (emergency disaster beds) and diapers to Japan. They will be received by Second Harvest Japan and Calvary Chapel Kokubunji and distributed to communities affected most by the disasters.
These pallets were air-lifted into Japan and should arrive this morning in Narita. An additional 10 pallets will be sent next week.
Please continue to stay updated on all relief efforts as we prepare to send containers soon.
Snapshot of the Disaster: Video Clip from Japan
While administering disaster relief in Japan, GCHope’s President & CEO, John Ditty, takes a moment to give an update on what is being seen and experienced.
Images from the Devastation in Japan
The GCHope team returned from Japan earlier this week with many stories of how God is moving in the devastated regions of Tohoku. Among the stories, there are also pictures of the trip ranging from heartbreaking to encouraging. You can view them here.
With the team’s safe return, GCHope is now working to prepare shipments of items identified as the greatest need. Products such as medicines, hygiene products, World Beds and more will be the first shipped to our partners.
Please continue to check for updates and ways you can help send desperately needed supplies.
a day of snowfall in Japan
All of my clocks are set on California time, so I’m not exactly sure what time it is here in Sendai. I’ll do my best to recount the day for you, regardless.
This morning we left Sendai and traveled north past Ishinomaki and into the Rikuzentakata regions, by far the worst damage we’ve seen. Event after driving hours up the coast, the devastation is everywhere. We were able to stop at a local clinic that was affected by the tsunami and give them supplies they desperately needed. This clinic treats approximately 30 patients each day, unable to utilize the first floor, elevators or most of its supplies because of the disaster. The doctors and nurses were extremely thankful for what we had to give.
As we continued North, we stopped to give supplies to an older lady working to clean her property. She opted to stay in her home rather than go to the evacuation center in hopes of restoring her badly damaged property. She was elated to receive food items, an emergency disaster bed, hygiene products. She also lead us to the evacuation center where more of our supplies could be used.
The evacuation center staff was full of joy and in high spirits as we delivered supplies. They were able to use most of the hygiene items, world beds, food products and over the counter medicines – as well as a pair of rain boots, an item which made one young lady extremely delighted.
As we left, the snow began to fall and has continued for most of the night. Even after meeting with partners in Morioka and doing an interview for a Japanese radio station, the snow still falls!
We drove back to Sendai tonight as well and have taken up shelter through partnership with Samaritan’s Purse.
We’re blessed to be a part of God’s work here and can’t wait for the stories tomorrow! Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
Good Morning, From Sendai
Just to check-in with folks back home: yes, there were a few large aftershocks last night and this morning, but we’re all well. I can imagine family members may be concerned.
What seems like a large and significant quake to us, doesn’t seem to phase the residents of Sendai or the surrounding areas; they’ve been experiencing these types of violent aftershocks since the major 9.0-magnitude quake on March 11.
More updates from the field to come. Thank you for your continued prayers!
Distribution from the field
Tonight was pretty incredible. We traveled from Sendai to Ishinomaki to begin distribution. When we arrived, we were able to meet with the manager of the Red Cross Hospital as well as the head of the pharmacy. Despite their composed behavior, the workers of the hospital are completely overwhelmed.
More than 800 patients are being treated everyday by this hospital and countless bodies are being found. Each day, more and more unidentified bodies are being collected by the Red Cross Hospital. Staff and relief workers from all around Japan are working around the clock.
We were able to give them antibiotics, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and more. We were given a tour of the facility and were thanked countless times. The head of the pharmacy was extremely emotional. What a blessing to help this hospital!
We then traveled into the destruction and distributed more aid and food to squaters living in a partially destroyed hotel and storehouse.
The devastation is heartbreaking and to see so many displaced physically aches, but to be able to help and see the joy and gratitude in these people’s lives is undeniably life-changing.
More updates soon to come.
Update from the Field: Day 3
Yesterday the team traveled from Kokobunji to Sendai to meet those affected by the Tohoku disasters. Once we arrived, we met with our church contacts and drove down to the disaster areas.
Seeing the devastation upclose was a truly unique experience; unique and heartbreaking. It was absolutely devastating to see complete houses in such destruction. In one instance, a car was still wedged into the side of a house.
Today we attended a Japanese church service and met with the pastor and a few members of the congregation to discuss partners, needs further north and ways to send more product in the future.
We received great insight and advice and are currently enroute (yes, we’re in a car at this very moment)to Ishinomaki to start distribution of medicines, medical supplies, hygiene products and food to individuals affected the most.
Please keep our travels and our encounters with the Japanese people in your prayers. We will have plenty of stories following today’s distribution.
Thank you for your prayers and support so far. We’re continually amazed at how God is moving on this trip.
Japanese Partner Visits GCHope: Procures Aid
Amy Lachica and Myra Cubos, partners from JEMA and CRASH-Japan, visited the GCHope warehouse yesterday to pick up supplies to take back to the devastated areas of Japan. Please listen to what Myra has to say about her experience in visiting the GCHope warehouse and her plans in returning to Japan to deliver the supplies she gathered in her visit.
Japan: Day 2 from the field
Our second day in Japan has been wonderful. We started the day sharing breakfast with partners who recently returned from Sendai. Their experience with the victims of the Tohoku disasters was extremely beneficial for our team as we assess the greatest ways to respond. Based on the information they provided, the 12 duffle bags of relief aid are exactly what is needed.
See the relief efforts of our partners, and wonderful host this week, here !
Blessed with this information from our partners, we spent the remainder of the day enjoying a traditional Japanese meal and planning our next steps; tomorrow morning we leave for Sendai.
During our three-day stay in Sendai, we will visit evacuation centers, clinics and shelters to distribute aid. We will continue to keep you all updated as much as possible throughout our trip.
Please keep our team in your prayers. Specifically, please pray for our traveling up north, our rest as we adjust to the time difference, our health duruing these next few days, and our encounters with the individuals receiving the aid.
God clearly has His hand on this trip and we couldnt be more awestruck or amazed. More updates to come! Thank you for your support of Giving Children Hope and our disaster relief efforts in Japan!
Update from the Team in Japan
Just wanted to give you all an update on how the team is doing in Japan.
We arrived safely without any issues; thank you so much for your prayers!
We had quite a journey with 12 duffle bags of aid (at 50 pounds each), 8 personal pieces of luggage, and 4 people to lug it all throughout the railway. Fortunately, we’ve already made friends with fantastic people who were willing to help us every step of the way, including: (1) a gentleman who gave us permission to call our partners with his cell when we realized our phones weren’t cooperating; (2) a group of teenagers who laughed at our struggle with the bags and gave us a hand unloading; (3) numerous folks who asked what we were doing with so many bags and thanked us when we told them we were here to help.
We are staying with church partners in Tokyo in a wonderfully traditional Japanese house. Tonight (this morning, rather, it’s 230 am in Tokyo) we shared tea and discussed opportunities available for our services here. We also shared how God is guiding this trip every step of the way – Amazing!
Tomorrow we are meeting with additional partners to discuss strategy and we hope to be up north by Saturday to distrubute aid.
Please continue to keep the GCHope team in your prayers and thank you so much for your support!
(Pictures, silly video of the luggage heap and more updates soon to come).
Japan Partner Followup
Giving Children Hope’s partners with Saddleback Church have connected us with former and current Japanese officials and partners and are making it possible to send relief to the affected communities in Japan by Friday at the latest. Listen to the call here.
Partner Call for Japan Relief
Giving Children Hope connected with Saddleback Church to discuss needs and partners on the ground in Japan. Listen to the conversation and stay updated on how you can help.
Play a Part in the Response
Are you looking for ways to help the people of Japan? Giving Children Hope needs you!
Donations
As GCHope begins preparing shipments to send to partners on the ground in Japan, funds are top priority in order to send these essential disaster relief products to the communities with the greatest needs. You can give online or send donations to: Giving Children Hope, 8332 Commonwealth Ave., Buena Park, CA 90621. Please be sure to make a memo “Japan Disaster Relief.”
If you have any ideas for creative fundraisers or sponsors to benefit GCHope’s Japan relief efforts, please contact Holly Johns .
Products
In the weeks immediately following a disaster, certain items are crucial to the individuals and communities affected the most. GCHope will be collecting items from the list to send to our partners as soon as possible. All product donations will receive a donation receipt. If you have a service group, school, church, family, etc. interested in hosting a product drive, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator .
Volunteers
To prepare the shipments leaving for Japan, we need many volunteers to help sort product and pack supplies. Volunteer opportunities are available Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. To volunteer, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator .
Partners
If you are a member of a Disaster Relief or Response Team and need supplies to hand-carry into Japan, we have products ready! If you are a church or nonprofit organization doing missions work in the affected regions of Japan and need supplies, we can help! If you are in Japan or have contacts in Japan and need relief items, we have supplies available! Please contact Ken Hicks or Sean Lawrence for more information or to partner with GCHope.
Logistics
GCHope needs connections to airlines, pilots, ocean freight liners, cargo ships and more. If you have any connections in logistics and can help get product into Japan, please contact Cheryl Thompson . The GCHope team is also in great need of airline miles to send aid workers to meet partners on the ground and distribute relief supplies. If you are willing and able to donate your frequent flier miles, please contact Jessica Rickerts as soon as possible.
Thank you for your willingness to help in the Japan relief efforts!
Nuclear State of Emergency
As the pressure continues to build in the nuclear reactors in Fukushima, the Japanese government has declared a state of nuclear emergency. Experts are working with a number of cooling techniques to reduce the heat and pressure building in the reactors following a number of earthquakes.
Two explosions have already occurred near two of the nuclear reactors following the initial 8.9-magnitude quake and a series of major aftershocks this weekend. Two nuclear fuel rods in the reactors have been fully exposed on two separate incidents, increasing the risk of exposure to radiation.
Nearby towns have been evacuated and are being screen for nuclear exposure and radiation. About 11 individuals have tested with severe levels of exposure and one individual has been critically injured by one of the explosions.
Japan has officially asked the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, for experts to help in the current nuclear crisis. Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan are beginning the process of screening all foods imported from Japan for radiation.
Impact of the Disaster
Japan is widely prepared for responding to earthquakes and tsunamis and the government’s relief response has been fast thus far; however, reports of stores running low on food and supplies has affected regions worrisome. Thousands of homes were washed away by the tsunami and updated estimates on the human cost of these recent disasters near 10,000 people.
Major aftershocks continued to rattle Japan throughout the weekend. Just this morning, an additional four aftershocks in quick succession, measuring 5.1 and 5.2 magnitude, struck the north-east regions.
More than 530,000 people have been displaced and close to 1.4 million homes without water and 1.2 millions homes without power. More than 4,000 homes have been completely destroyed while 50,000 homes have been damaged in some way. Hundreds of roads have been cut off from connecting regions and nearly 30 bridges have collapsed.
Temporary shelters have been established and offered in nearby school gymnasiums. Telephone companies have setup emergency phone booths as well.
Please stay up-to-date on all relief efforts and current breaking news items as Giving Children Hope begins to respond to this disaster.
Japan Update: Aftershocks and Evacuations
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit the north west regions of Japan, just hours after a massive 8.9-magnitude quake struck.
Preliminary reports of the new quake do not show further damage thus far and no new tsunami alert has been reported; although, smaller tsunami-like waves have hit the Philippines, Kuril Islands, Taiwan and western regions of the U.S.
It is estimated that the 8.9-magnitude earthquake which triggered a massive tsunami has claimed nearly 1,000 lives, although that is considered a conservative estimate; more than 500 individuals remain missing. The BBC reported that the Japanese government has officially requested a limited number of search-and-rescue teams and has not yet made an official request for relief assistance.
Instances of erupting fires have also been reported. The most dangerous occurring in-and-around a nuclear power plant near Fukushima, resulting in the closure of four reactors. This has triggered a nuclear emergency.
The U.S. Air Force is sending a “coolant”-of-sorts to help alleviate the issues while the Japanese government attempts to battle the building pressure with vapors.
More than 2,800 individuals have been evacuated, 4 million homes remain without power, and Ports and Airports are closed to both incoming and outgoing travels and shipments.
According to Twitter reports from Japan residents, multiple smaller earthquakes continue to rattle the country around the clock.
Mexico, Hawaii and California officials have also reported tsunami damages. Chile has just issued a full tsunami warning, evacuating all residents from low-lying regions.
Please continue to check back for updates as they become available.
Product Available for Disaster Relief Teams
For relief teams preparing to respond to the recent disasters in Japan, Giving Children Hope has disaster relief product available.
Items vary from first aid supplies to medicines, medical supplies, water, food, blankets and much more. Please contact Ken Hicks or Sean Lawrence for more information or to receive supplies for your team’s relief efforts.
20 Countries Issued Tsunami Warnings
Disaster Strikes!
A 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan earlier this afternoon near Honshu, creating a massive tsunami.
Waves as big as 13 feet have swept away boats, cars, buildings and debris. Fires have also erupted quickly after the quake.
Officials are evaluating this quake in comparison to the earthquake in Chile last year. This is the largest earthquake to hit the region in nearly five years.
Officials are also estimating more than one tsunami to engulf the affected regions of Japan.
Giving Children Hope is speaking with partners to assess damages and immediate needs. Currently, many injuries have been reported as well as immeasurable amounts of damage.
GCHope is collecting donations to prepare disaster relief items to send once damage and needs are assessed. Please stay updated on current needs and GCHope relief and response efforts as they become available.
Photo: Associated Press
Breaking News
More than 20 countries and Pacific islands have been issued tsunami warnings after the 8.9 earthquake struck Japan.
Authorities are expecting numerous tsunamis and earthquakes throughout Japan, Russia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, New Zealand, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and the United States.
Please contact Giving Children Hope to request relief or assistance or for updates in your region.
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