Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Meltdown... Reflecting on Japan's Disaster
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:59AM 
As many of you know, Japan was hit with a terrible earthquake which caused both a tsunami hitting the northeastern region of Japan and the subsequent threat of nuclear meltdown in Fukushima. The situation is ongoing as people try to deal with the aftermath of this 8.9 quake.
I avoided making this post until I knew my friends and loved ones were okay. It took me days to get through to them, but thankfully everyone is alright. Some are displaced, some have lost their homes, everyone is alive. Not everyone is as lucky, however, and as I am writing this message the death toll in Japan continues to climb.
If you want to help the victims of this disaster, please do so by donating money to an appropriate organization. Although you and I are both watching this aftermath unfold and we want to do whatever we can to help, the best way I think we can help Japan is by supporting the relief NGOs that are able to respond in ways that we cannot. The Google Crisis Response Center has set up a site where you can donate to a variety of these organizations including the Japanese Red Cross, Save the Children, and International Medical Corps. If you would like to donate in an unconventional way, Jason Kelly has been organizing Socks for Japan which has aimed in getting fresh socks and a message of hope to those impacted by the disaster. For my part, 50% of all origami sales will be donated to the Red Cross for the relief effort.
I think Japan will be feeling the effects of this earthquake for some time to come, so please keep those suffering in your thoughts.
Reader Comments (2)
Horrible, I hope Japanese overcome the difficulties soon.
This is a really horrific tragedy. I'm glad that all your friends are okay. I've been watching the news and a lot of the footage are really scary. I'm praying for Japan.