Metro - Harper visits tsunami-devastated area in Japan

Metro - Harper visits tsunami-devastated area in Japan: URIAGE, Japan - Stephen Harper got a first-hand look at the devastation caused by last year's powerful earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

The prime minister made a stop Monday in the small town of Yuriage, outside of Sendai.

‘Bo Bikes Bama’ charity ride to benefit relief fund | TuscaloosaNews.com

‘Bo Bikes Bama’ charity ride to benefit relief fund | TuscaloosaNews.com: On April 24, a year after deadly tornadoes devastated the state of Alabama, sports legend Bo Jackson will begin a five-day charity bike ride with a goal of raising $1 million for the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund.

The Northerner : Campus works together to help after tornadoes

The Northerner : Campus works together to help after tornadoes: We as a campus want to respond in the most powerful way,” said Collette Thompson, Scripps Howard Center coordinator.
One of those responses is a special section of the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project.

Mexico earthquake rattles buildings, residents - BlogPost - The Washington Post

Mexico earthquake rattles buildings, residents - BlogPost - The Washington Post

FEMA Corps forms for disaster response - The Federal Eye - The Washington Post

FEMA Corps forms for disaster response - The Federal Eye - The Washington Post: Called FEMA Corps, the organization will form a new division in AmeriCorps’s National Civilian Community Corps. The five-year agreement provides for a 1,600-member disaster relief organization that will receive work orders from FEMA. It will more than double the NCCC’s ranks.

Japanese earthquake and tsunami first anniversary: PM statement - Number 10

Japanese earthquake and tsunami first anniversary: PM statement - Number 10: Twelve months on and the Japanese people continue to sustain that courage and determination as they rebuild their communities, their homes and their lives. And I greatly admire and respect the way they have overcome the enormous challenges of recovery.

Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco: One Year Later: Rebuilding After the Great Tōhoku Earthquake

Philanthropy Front and Center-San Francisco: One Year Later: Rebuilding After the Great Tōhoku Earthquake: One Year Later: Rebuilding After the Great Tōhoku Earthquake

James Gannon is executive director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA), which works to strengthen U.S.-Japan cooperation across a range of fields. Laura Cronin, a regular contributor to PhilanTopic, chatted with Gannon recently about rebuilding efforts in quake- and tsunami-affected regions of the country.

7-hour show aids tornado victims | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

7-hour show aids tornado victims | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com: The Southern Indiana Tornado Relief Concert raised money for American Red Cross Disaster Relief by charging everyone coming through the door $10 — band members, police officers and media representatives included.

Katherine Marshall: 3/11 Japanese Earthquake - The Untold Stories of Spiritual Response

Katherine Marshall: 3/11 Japanese Earthquake - The Untold Stories of Spiritual Response: The huge earthquake that struck northeast Japan on March 11, 2011 tested a nation and its faith. On this first anniversary we pause to remember that day, with prayer and reflection on what it means. Without warning, on a cold sunny day, an entire region was shaken by one of five most powerful earthquakes ever recorded; then the unimaginable power of a tsunami swept away everything in its path. The prolonged horror of the Fukushima nuclear disaster closed off vast areas and called reliance on nuclear power into question. 3/11 rammed home messages about human vulnerability.

Earthquake relief, one year later: "Shinsai: Theaters for Japan" | SF Arts

Earthquake relief, one year later: "Shinsai: Theaters for Japan" | SF Arts: One year later, with an estimated 300,000 people still homeless from the combined natural and unnatural disasters that shook the Fukushima prefecture, it appears that the crisis is far from being over. Inspired by an impromptu fundraising effort spearheaded by New York-based, Japanese-born actor James Yaegashi, a unique memorial will take place Sun/11 in theaters across the United States.

Entitled “Shinsai,” which means “great earthquake,” the structure of the performances is up to the individual participating theatres — a tactic utilized by the roving world premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Plays —

Japan Society Allocates Over Half of Earthquake Relief Fund with 4th Round of Grants: Press: About: Japan Society

Japan Society Allocates Over Half of Earthquake Relief Fund with 4th Round of Grants: Press: About: Japan Society: Japan Society Allocates Over Half of Earthquake Relief Fund with 4th Round of Grants
March 9, 2012

New York, NY – Japan Society announced today an additional eight grants totaling $1.6 million from its Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (JERF). This latest announcement brings total allocations from the $12.5 million fund to $7.2 million distributed to 19 organizations representing 25 projects that directly serve people affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.

“As we approach the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, we are pleased with the swift allocations and immediate use of the funds for people in need,” said Motoatsu Sakurai, President of Japan Society. “Over half of the money we’ve received has now been allocated. Moving forward, we will continue to look for opportunities to fund effective projects, including those that serve rebuilding and economic recovery in the region.”

Red Cross Launches Social Media Disaster Response Center

Red Cross Launches Social Media Disaster Response Center: The Red Cross and Dell have jointly launched a Digital Operations Center, the first social media-monitoring platform dedicated to humanitarian relief. The Digital Operations Center will equip the Red Cross to better share safety and preparedness tips during natural disasters.

Facebook helps tornado victims co-ordinate disaster relief � Internet � MyBroadband Tech and IT News

Facebook helps tornado victims co-ordinate disaster relief � Internet � MyBroadband Tech and IT News: Residents of the storm-ravaged communities in the Midwest are reaching out to each other, neighbor to neighbor, through social media sites to coordinate disaster relief and share information.

A chain of fast-moving tornadoes spawned by massive thunderstorms cut a swath of destruction from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, killing at least 39 people and leaving many residents homeless and seeking food, clothing, and shelter.

With phone connections spotty as emergency workers tried to repair downed power lines and clear debris, Facebook pages — accessible by cell phone, mobile device, or computer — have proven a go-to source for communities to assist one another.

Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief

Princeton system tracks drought to aid disaster relief: he problem is that there is often no easy way to get data about water supplies in these areas — water monitoring stations don't exist, or they don't work, or they are simply too dangerous to operate. Groups such as AGRHYMET, an intergovernmental hydrology, agricultural and food security agency based in Niger, often have to rely on far-flung observers, often volunteers, to obtain the information manually.

Disaster relief must be more local and national, Oxfam says | Global development | guardian.co.uk

Disaster relief must be more local and national, Oxfam says | Global development | guardian.co.uk: Western donors and relief groups must build up the capacity of local and national organisations to respond to disasters, or the international humanitarian response system will fail to cope with an expected rise in emergencies, Oxfam warned.

In its report, Crises in a New World Order, Oxfam said international NGOs and the UN provide only part of the answer to crises from Haiti to the Horn of Africa, and future humanitarian action will increasingly rely on new donors and NGOs from around the world and on the governments and civil society of crisis-hit countries.

Customer Analytics: A New Lifeline for the Red Cross and Other Nonprofits? - Knowledge@Wharton

Customer Analytics: A New Lifeline for the Red Cross and Other Nonprofits? - Knowledge@Wharton: When an epic disaster occurs somewhere in the world, images of devastation are conveyed instantly around the world through newspapers, television and the Internet. The result is an outpouring of aid, often in the form of donations to nonprofits like the American Red Cross. But once the dramatic images and headlines begin to fade, donors often disappear as well.

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami | One year: Coming to terms with tragedy

Japan Earthquake & Tsunami | One year: Coming to terms with tragedy: Tomokazu Sato paces over the concrete foundations that are all that remain of the house where he grew up until the age of 18. “It still doesn’t seem real, I can hardly believe this has happened.”

“My grandmother was in the house by herself, because my mother had just gone up the hill to renew her driving license,” says the stocky bearded 35-year-old Japanese Red Cross staff member.

Sex Toys, Winter Coats, And Spanish Flags: The Uselessness Of Post-Disaster Donations | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

Sex Toys, Winter Coats, And Spanish Flags: The Uselessness Of Post-Disaster Donations | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation: Years of studying disaster relief has led Jose Holguin-Veras to a few simple truths about donations. While tiger costumes and sex toys aren’t going to do much good, it makes people feel better to think they’re helping. But they’re not--they could be doing a lot of damage.

Getting on with it: Bangkok bounces back

Getting on with it: Bangkok bounces back: More than five million people have been affected by Thailand's floods, which the World Bank says has cost the Kingdom some $20.77 billion in damage and $23.31 billion in lost opportunities.Those figures include the devastating damage to architectural treasures in the old Siamese capital of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya is a World Heritage Site and one of the kingdom's prime tourist attractions.

American Red Cross Extends Funding of Critical Medical Care in Haiti

American Red Cross Extends Funding of Critical Medical Care in Haiti: WASHINGTON, Friday, January 06, 2012 — The American Red Cross has committed an additional $3.6 million to underwrite operating expenses at Hospital Bernard Mevs Project Medishare Critical Care Trauma and Rehabilitation Program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This increases the total funding of the hospital to $8.6 million since the earthquake struck. The funding will support services until December 2012.