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