Japan: One Year after the Earthquake and Tsunami

One year following Japan’s tragic earthquake and Pacific tsunami, the country is firmly on the path to recovery.

“Donations to the American Red Cross have helped hundreds of thousands of disaster survivors and are serving a critical role in recovery plans,” said President and CEO Gail McGovern. “Whether it’s offering emotional support to someone struggling with trauma, building much needed healthcare facilities, or providing appliances to a family moving into a temporary home, the Red Cross is helping the Japanese people look to the future.”Donations to the American Red Cross have helped the Japanese Red Cross:

• Provide more than 316,000 survivors with necessary appliances for their temporary housing, including refrigerators, washing machines and rice cookers.
• Support construction of four temporary hospitals, one permanent hospital and a community health clinic.
• Rebuild a Red Cross nursing school that will train specialists in disaster medical care
• Provide more than 87,000 people with health services through Japanese Red Cross mobile teams and temporary clinics.
• Comfort 14,000 people by counselors trained to deal with disaster-related trauma.
• Provide transportation and vaccinations for the elderly and educational support, temporary school gyms and play areas for children.
• Improve the disaster response capacity of the Japanese Red Cross, so critical to saving lives.

"Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who has generously donated funds through the American Red Cross and national societies in many other countries,” said Tadateru Konoe, president of the Japanese Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross. “Through your support we have been able to help survivors regain their resilience and also increase our preparedness to face up to potential future disasters."

The American Red was one of the largest private, international contributors to the Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami response, raising more than $312 million. One year later, virtually all of the funds have been spent. Because of these donations, the Japanese Red Cross was able to bring emergency comfort to those living in shelters and later able to provide the supplies and services needed to help them get back on their feet.

Japan: One Year Later (Video)

In the last decade, Japan’s Ministry of Education has responded to market imperatives and a need for managers with specialized skills by increasing the number of graduate programs. But Japan's new professional and graduate programs have experienced chronic under-enrollment -- basically, no one is showing up to class. Now the Ministry of Education is playing catch-up to market these educational programs to a very truant bunch of students.

It is not hard to determine why Japan’s graduate classrooms sit empty. For one thing, the promise that graduate programs offer does little to remove the stigma associated with continuing education courses. Traditional definitions of success lead many professionals to fear that they will be perceived as less competent if they pursue education after they have entered a professional career. In the past, Japanese companies have also based career advancement on seniority. An extra one or two years in school has often meant falling behind less educated counterparts who move faster up the corporate ranks.

As Japan approaches the first anniversary of the crisis that transformed the nation, global attention will undoubtedly focus on the progress that the country has made in resurrecting its physical infrastructure. Restoring homes, roads, hospitals and schools, and mitigating the damage of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl certainly deserve our attention and reflection. Still, it is important to remember that solving the social and economic problems that Japan faced before the crisis are just as critical.

The unique skills that graduate programs offer will play a vital roll in managing Japan's long-term recovery. If students and professionals continue to avoid higher education, Japan will find itself ill-equipped to maintain its revival. Considering how many people have been displaced and how much there is yet to be rebuilt, it may be worthwhile for the Ministry of Education to encourage distance learning or online graduate programs. Because online schools are more cost-efficient, offer the ability to reach a larger audience across vast distances, and provide the opportunity to study while working full-time -- thereby avoiding the stigma of a late entry into the workforce -- they may be the perfect tool in ensuring that once Japan's physical recovery is complete, the nation will have an educated workforce capable of leading an economic recovery.

To get involved in Japan's recovery, donate to:
American Red Cross


OnlineSchools.org presents Japan One Year Later

This video was sent in to the American Red Cross Central Valley Region and asked to be shared with you our loyal readers.

Radiation Fears Threaten Red Cross Relief Effort

An evolving nuclear crisis in quake-hit Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, could add misery to hundreds of thousands of quake victims by possibly forcing relief organizations to withdraw their operations.

"The Japanese Red Cross Society is committed to rescue any victims, including those of nuclear radiation," JRCS spokesman Mutsuhiko Owaki said. "But we cannot send rescue workers to places where there is a clear risk of radiation exposure," he added, indicating that the group will have to limit its operations to areas where such risks are low.

In response to an appeal for help from the JRCS, a five-person team has arrived in Japan from the International Red Cross to evaluate Japan's assistance needs. The team's assessment on the radiation risks could influence the decision by other countries to send rescue teams to Japan.

Miyagi is located just north of Fukushima prefecture, the scene of partial reactor meltdowns in the worst nuclear disaster in Japan's history.The Tokyo Fire Department, which currently has about 500 firefighters engaged in relief operations in Miyagi prefecture, said it will have to consider options such as redeploying its rescue workers. "There would be no choice but to take action if the situation became much worse," a spokesman said.

Japanese relief teams are fairly experienced in dealing with quake-related disasters. But none anticipated having to deal with a radiation crisis.

On Tuesday, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station suffered an explosion in one reactor and a fire in another, causing the release of radioactive materials into the atmosphere. Near the plant, radiation reached levels that could pose serious health risks. Even in Tokyo, 200 kilometers, or 124 miles, south of the scene of the explosion, higher-than-normal levels of radiation were detected, although they still are far below the levels posing any health hazard to humans, according to officials of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The Japanese Red Cross Society has three teams of doctors and nurses engaged for medical assistance in Fukushima. It said it plans to send 99 teams—a total of some 700 rescue workers—to the quake hit prefectures.

It also plans to send teams of volunteers, mostly people with a license to operate heavy machinery, aircraft and boats, to provide logistical assistance to the medical teams.

The JRCS said it hasn't formulated an emergency response to a possible nuclear meltdown. "It is hard to make such a plan because the situation is so unpredictable," Mr. Owaki said.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces stand by its commitment to prevent a nuclear disaster and rescue survivors at all costs. "The SDF has no plan to change its missions because of the radiation risks," said a spokesman of the Japanese Defense Ministry.

Four SDF troops sustained injuries when an explosion occurred at one of the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant Monday. But SDF troops continued its task of pumping water into reactors whose cooling systems broke down, to prevent the reactor from overheating. SDF troops also carried on with their activity to disinfect local residents who may have been exposed to nuclear radiation.

The U.S. military has declared its intent to conduct major relief operations, involving eight transport helicopters from the Marines for humanitarian assistance support and two urban search and rescue teams, among others.

On Tuesday, no comment was available from the U.S. Forces Japan on whether the radiation crisis would affect the planned relief operations.

To donate to the American Red Cross text "RedCross" to 90999 or visit us online at www.redcross.org.

American Red Cross Issues One-Year Report on Haiti Relief and Recovery

Donations Made a Real Difference in Lives of Haitians Following 2010 Earthquake

The American Red Cross today released a one-year report on how the Red Cross has helped hundreds of thousands of Haitian survivors after the January 2010 earthquake, what has been done to respond to new issues such as the cholera outbreak, and plans for the years ahead to support Haiti’s recovery.

“Thanks to the generous contributions of so many donors, people in Haiti are receiving immediate relief and resources, as well as the necessary support and training to help them recover and rebuild,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “Red Cross efforts saved lives and improved the quality of life for Haitians with emergency shelter, food, water, latrines, medical treatment and other supplies.”

“People in the Central Valley and across the country responded quickly to help Haiti, and these donations have made a real difference in the lives of Haitians,” said Ellen Knapp, Regional CEO.

The one-year report on Red Cross relief and recovery efforts in Haiti can be found at www.redcross.org/haiti.

Since the earthquake on January 12, 2010, the American Red Cross and the global Red Cross network have provided:

• Medical care for nearly 217,000 patients
• Cash grants and loans to help 220,000 people
• Latrines for 265,000 people
• Daily drinking water for more than 317,000 people
• Emergency shelter materials for more than 860,000 people
• Vaccinations for nearly 1 million people
• Food for 1.3 million people for one month

Since the earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, the American Red Cross has raised approximately $479 million for the Haiti relief and recovery efforts, including more than $32 million from the record-setting text donation program.

At the one-year anniversary of the earthquake, the Red Cross expects to have spent and signed agreements to spend $245 million, which is more than half of what has been raised. Specifically, 30 percent of the money will have been spent on emergency shelter and basic homes; 26 percent on food and emergency services; 15 percent on providing clean water and sanitation; 13 percent on health and disease prevention programs; 10 percent on livelihoods and host family assistance; and 6 percent on disaster preparedness activities.

The remainder of the money will go to longer-term recovery over the next several years, with spending plans likely to evolve to respond to changing needs.

In addition to responding to the earthquake and its aftermath, the Red Cross worked to provide help following the cholera outbreak last fall. The American Red Cross has spent more than $4.5 million and plans to spend at least another $10 million to fight the spread of cholera.  

One of the big challenges facing the Red Cross and other non-profit organizations is finding land to get people out of camps and into transitional homes. It has been difficult for the Haitian government to determine exactly who owns the land where these homes would be built. Much of the available land is covered with tons of rubble that must be removed, and there is not enough heavy equipment in Haiti to do this quickly. In addition, the government, which would take a lead role on much of the land ownership and rubble removal, was severely affected by the earthquake.

Overall, the American Red Cross expects to spend about $100 million of the remaining funds on construction of permanent homes and community development projects. These efforts, which will unfold over the next few years, will depend on several outside factors including the availability of appropriate land and the coordination of infrastructure, livelihoods and community centers.

“The Red Cross will continue to spend the money entrusted to us by the American people in the most responsible way possible to help Haiti and its people,” McGovern said.