Helping Japan

On March 11, Japan was hit by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake that has been said to be Japan’s worst crisis since World War II. The earthquake and the tsunamis that followed it have caused tons of damage, and it is estimated that at least 10,000 people have died in Japan. Tons of people are missing, power plants have leaked, factories can’t run because of blackouts, and people are trying to find food and shelter. About 350,000 people have been reported to be homeless and staying in shelters(http://www.nytimes.com/201103/15/world/asia/15japan.html). Many people who aren’t in Japan are wondering how to help or contact people in Japan. Google has made a crisis response page about the earthquake and tsunami designed to help people find information about it. There are recent articles and twitter updates about it, maps and a live video stream. There is information about blackouts, transportation and alarms and warnings. To find information about people in Japan there is information about the United States Department and Embassy, shelter resident lists and information, message boards about the tsunami, emergency phone numbers, numbers to call about missing people and a tool to find people or share information about people. There is also a spot to donate to the Japanese Red Cross (http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html). You can also donate to the American Red Cross online or by texting. Other organizations such as International Medical Corps, Global Giving, World Vision, AmeriCare and Save the Children have set up was to donate to Japan. Salvation Army, Doctors Without Borders, Shelterbox and other organizations are sending representatives to Japan to help out. (http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/03/how-to-help-japan.html). Groups like these that you can donate to are great for people who want to help out in Japan but aren't sure how. The quote from the Talmud goes with this because it means even if you can't solve all of the problems, you should still help out and realize that when you are going through hard times in your life, some people may have it a lot worse.

I would like being able to do something in class to help Japan.