This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.
A simple search for pictures posted on Twitter can bring up amazing things.
Search the characters “宮城” (Miyagi) and a handful of different pictures come up from the prefecture, one of the hardest-hit in Japan by the recent tsunami. Scroll down, and one picture stands out, a blob of brown and blue until you click it…
… to reveal a wasteland. This is what remains of Kesennuma, a small town, once with tens of thousands of inhabitants.
Read the caption, and a story emerges of a person who lived in the city. This person sent the picture to a friend, Cherie, in Sydney, who posted the picture and email to the Internet. The message reads:
なんとか家族みな無事でいます。家は半分なくなりました
家の前の風景で家も駅も商店街も何にも無くなりました…
宮城県気仙沼市の被害をネットで配信したいのですが、私には出来ません 助けが必要です。出来るだけ色んな国へ知らせたいと思います。このメールも電波が入る所まで車でやっときて打ってます。これから生き残った人達が生きるために少しでも援助お願いします
Cherie adds a few words to the end of the caption:
I love u,pls dont lose hope.we can meet again, Pray for you.
5 comments
Thanks, Chris!
For those who can help with donations, here are some links to appeals:
Red Cross UK:
https://www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now/Appeals/Single-Giving/Japan-Tsunami-Appeal/
Red Cross USA:
https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&5052.donation=form1&df_id=5052
Salvation Army:
https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/
Through PayPal:
https://www.paypal-donations.com/pp-charity/web.us/campaign.jsp?cid=-12
For those in Japan:
http://nanapi.jp/24717/
There is a collection of other ways here: http://storify.com/1rick/japan-quake-how-can-i-help
Also, beware of scams – there are some doing the rounds already – and avoid sending money through Western Union, which is the preferred method for scammers.
Paula
Thanks Paula! Great to have that info.
“If a free society cannot help the many who are in need, it cannot save the few who are not.” Let’s proceed.
Please see this link regarding assistance to Japan. It is a compilation made by a NGO consultant Sara Jean Rossitto who lives in Tokyo.
http://japanvolunteers.wordpress.com/