Thursday, March 24, 2011

Status of our fundraising efforts...

(4 month old baby found alive amid rubble)




Mika and I would first like to send out a warm thank you to all of our friends and family who donated to our collection fund.  We are very happy to announce that we have reached our goal of raising $1,000.  We are still continuing our efforts to raise funds and awareness about the crisis in Japan.  We are in the process of planning a benefit at Bourbon Street.  We will keep this blog updated with developments on the benefit.


Next, I would like to take some time here on the blog to let all of you know what will happen with the funds we have collected.  The majority of funds have been collected through PayPal.  I have been in contact with PayPal several times since March 11 and since we started this blog/collection page.   We had originally planned to bring the funds we collected, in hand, as far as we physically could to the affected areas by this month's earthquake and tsunami.

As a result of the conversations had with PayPal, we had to make a small change of plans.  We decided to donate the collected funds to Direct Relief International's Japan Relief and Recovery Fund.  Direct Relief International is working with the Japanese American Citizen League to provide funds in the areas most affected areas of northeastern Japan.  These funds will be used to continue the clean-up effort, continue the search/rescue/recovery effort, to support evacuation centers that are temporarily providing shelter to survivors of the earthquake/tsunami, etc.

We will keep this blog posted with updates on our fundraising efforts.

Thank you again to all who have contributed.  With your help, we have been able to make a difference in the lives of those who have suffered so much.

Sincerely,

Brian & Mika Hampson

Monday, March 21, 2011

Update on the situation in Japan (3/21)


The death toll is still rising in the wake of Japan's most devastating earthquake on record. On March 11, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake shook beneath the ocean off of the northeast coast of the main island. A massive tsunami measuring over 30-ft. swept the northeastern coastline, taking with it thousands of people's lives.

Even for those who survived the quake and the ensuing tsunami, survival now means finding means to stay warm enough, to stay hydrated, and to stay as well-fed as possible. Deaths have been reported in evacuation sites due to lack of sufficient fuel for heating and lack of food/water supplies.

As of this afternoon the number of confirmed dead and still missing are:

Confirmed Dead: 8,649
Reported Still missing: 13,262
Total: 21,911

Over 340,000 survivors have been displaced by the damage from the quake, tsunami, and also the 20km evacuation radius due to the situation at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

My wife and I are doing what we can to collect funds to donate in order to help those affected most by last week's disasters.  We are nearing our goal of $1,000. Once we reach that, we will donate to the most affected areas.

Thank you to all who have help so far. Just checking in on this blog means a lot to us. Thank you, also, to those who have contributed. We honestly hope that this money will make a difference for those that have lost so much.

Donations can be made through PayPal (click donate):





or through the post office:

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

Thank you for your help and consideration,

Brian & Mika Hampson

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Updates on the situation in Japan (3/19)






Yesterday (3/18) was the 1 week mark after the massive earthquake and devastating tsunami that hit northeast Japan.  My wife and I have been trying to raise funds to donate to those in need.

The statistics as of today (Saturday, 3/19) are:

Confirmed Dead: 7,653 (this number surpassed the number of those killed in the Kobe earthquake in 1995)
Still Missing: 11,746

One week later, rescue efforts have seemingly changed to recovery efforts.  At exactly 2:46pm local time on Friday, a moment of silence was held throughout the country to honor those dead / still missing.

The road to recovery will take years, not to mention millions, if not billions of dollars.  My wife and I are trying to collect funds to donate in order to aid survivors.  Having survived the earthquake and tsunami, now some survivors are dying in evacuation centers due to lack of heat, lack of food, lack of drinkable water, and lack of medical supplies.

While relief efforts are going on in the most affected areas, Japan is now facing another potential disaster:

6 nuclear reactors and the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant were damaged in the earthquake and ensuing tsunami.  While some of the reactors received less damage, explosions have occurred in the buildings that house other reactors due to a lack of water in the cooling pool for spent fuel rods.

If this situation cannot be contained, these fuel rods could melt, releasing dangerous amounts of radiation into the air.









We are doing what we can to help.  Our goal is to donate $1,000 to help those in need the most.  We have around $850 collected, so we're getting close.  With your help, we can make a difference in the lives of people who have been affected by these disasters.

Contributions by check:

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

Contributions by PayPal (click donate)








Thank you to those who have donated already, and thank you for reading about our cause.  We are trying to make any difference we can to help people in Japan who have lost so much.

Brian & Mika Hampson

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Update on conditions in affected areas of Japan






The death toll in Japan has broken 6,400.  More than 10,000 are still missing.








Conditions for survivors are deteriorating.  Food supplies cannot be replenished due to lack of fuel for transport trucks.  Sickness due to cold weather and malnutrition have started to spread and affect survivors, in particular, elderly survivors.

At the same time, multiple news sources are reporting multiple opinions about the situation going on at the nuclear power plants in Fukushima.  From where we are, it's difficult to know which story to believe.

Regardless, we are continuing to put the word out about our cause.  We will do our best to help those who are in the most need.

Thank you to those who have offered their support so far.  This support is very much appreciated.

Our efforts continue...

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717







Brian & Mika Hampson

Update (3/17)






We are trying to help those who have lost so much.  Please watch this video.  We apologize if the video begins with a non-related advertisement.




Confirmed Dead: over 5,300
Still Reported Missing: over 9,300

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

or click donate for PayPal




Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Japan Needs Help 2011...Why we are helping.

This is why we are helping.  Please, please take the time to watch the entire video.





Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

or click donate for PayPal


Any and all help is much appreciated.

Brian & Mika

Update on Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

Efforts are being made to cool the nuclear reactors.  Military helicopters are dumping 7.5 tons of water onto the damaged reactors.  Riot control vehicles are also en route to use their hoses to blast water into the reactors in efforts to resupply cooling pools.

Something like this has never been attempted before.  Helicopter crews and vehicle drivers are also exposing themselves to potentially dangerous levels of radiation.

While this is happening, more than 330,000 people are struggling to stay warm and find food in evacuation centers throughout the affected areas.

We will try to do whatever we can to help.  $1 will pay for a toothbrush for someone who hasn't brushed their teeth since last week.  $5 will pay for a blanket so that 7 people don't have to share 1 blanket because there isn't enough fuel to run the heater.  $10 will pay for food that keeps the search/rescue teams working hard or pay for food that will help evacuees get food into their systems.

Every little bit helps.

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

or click donate for PayPal


Update on Wednesday (3/16)



Since the last post, the death toll has jumped to 4,400.  Combined with the number of people still missing, this number is now close to 12,000.

We have been trying to find a way to send care packages to areas that need them most.  Currently, individual contributions are not being accepted until the logistics route (transport, roads, delivery/distribution systems have been established and confirmed).

We are headed to the post office now to send care packages to Tokyo, which will then be distributed once delivery access has been established.

It's difficult to know where to start writing this post: Fukushima nuclear reactors are still in critical condition, the most affected areas are experiencing heavy snow that is hindering search/rescue efforts, there is a shortage of supply (food, toiletries, fuel) spanning from areas directly affected by last week's earthquake / tsunami to Tokyo where our friends and family live.

One positive note: our fundraiser is going strong.  We are close to our goal of raising $1,000.  We are also planning a benefit for the summer.  I will post details when they are confirmed.

We are still accepting donations through PayPal, and we are also accepting donations through the mail.  The mail address is:

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

or click donate for PayPal



I will finish this post with a video clip of Japan's Emperor commenting on the status and conditions of rescue efforts, as well as the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plants.



(video from cnn.com)

Thank you to all who have contributed to our cause.  Thank you to all who have asked about the situation.  We are trying our best to make any difference we can; trying to help those who need help the most in this time of crisis.

Brian & Mika

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Update on Tuesday (3/15)



The confirmed death toll has passed 3,600.   Combined with the number of people still missing, this number is over 11,000.  It is snowing heavily in the areas most affected.  In most places, there is still no power, no plumbing, and there is not enough kerosene to run portable heaters.

We are trying to raise money to help these people who are in great need in Japan.

Click on Donate and you can contribute through PayPal.



Or, you can help by sending a check to:

Japan Needs Help 2011
Brian Hampson
P.O. Box 717
Worth, IL 60482-0717

With your help, we can make every effort to help those affected by last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Thank you all for your support in this time of need.

Brian & Mika


Monday, March 14, 2011

Update on situation in Japan (Monday, 3/14/11)






Thanks to very generous contributions by friends and family, after 2 days of fundraising, we have broken the $500 mark!  This is amazing.  Can we make it to $1,000?  I am sure of it.

Mika and I will do our best to make sure that every last penny gets to where it needs to be...that is the most affected areas in Japan.

We will make every effort to continue this fundraiser, to continue preparing care packages, to continue you monitoring the situation overseas in Japan, and to continue updating this blog with the latest.

Thank you all for your help with spreading the word about what we're trying to do.

Any and all help is very much appreciated.

Our efforts continue...

Brian & Mika




Updates on the situation in Japan.





Here is a link to an interactive page that lets you see before and after images of the destruction.  Move the blue bar in the center left / right to see before and after.

before and after the earthquake and tsunami

This is just the beginning.  The death toll has passed 2,400 people.  It is estimated that this number will break 10,000.  Now there are radiation fears in Fukushima Prefecture.




(pictures from BBC)

We have to help now!  Pass on this blog to someone you know.  Make a contribution if you can.  Every little bit counts.

Thank you for your help and consideration,

Brian & Mika




Sunday, March 13, 2011

Update on the situation in Japan...

Click on Donate to contribute to relief efforts in Japan.






Here is a video of the prime minister in Japan with an "official" update on the situation in Japan.




What can you do to help?  Donate money.  My wife and I are putting together care packages that we will send to the effected areas.  From there, supplies will be distributed accordingly.

Other things happening...I am planning a potential benefit for victims to be held sometime this summer.  I will keep you posted.

Again, if you want to donate, click on the word "donate" and you can make a contribution through PayPal.  Thank you for your help and consideration.





Saturday, March 12, 2011

WE NEED TO HELP NOW!

Click on donate and make a donation through PayPal.




Scroll down for information on how you can help.








Here are the current stats (taken from the LA Times on Saturday, March 12, 2011):

- over 1,000 dead
- thousands still stranded in houses or on rooftops awaiting air evacuation
- 1,800 homes washed away and / or destroyed
- millions without power (nuclear power generators shut down due to quake)

Here is what I know (from talking to my in-laws):

- frequent aftershocks anywhere from 4-7 point magnitude
- supermarkets are almost, if not empty (my brother-in-law bought the last package of toilet paper)
- body count cannot be confirmed because some areas still cannot be reached either because of wreckage, landslides, etc. or for fear of another tsunami if a large aftershock occurs.
- Deaths have been reported from close to the epicenter all the way to 3-4 hours away (by car) from the epicenter

Here is what I think:

- WE NEED TO HELP NOW.

This is a link to the same PayPal site to donate.  Pass the word along.




Thank you for your help and consideration.