Locals Respond to Disaster in Japan

Local Japanese-Americans were still trying Friday to contact friends and family they have not been able to reach due to widespread power and communications outages in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Japan.  

“We’re just trying to make contact with missionaries and family” said Stan Naruo of San Lorenzo Japanese Christian Church. One missionary was reached via e-mail from Tokyo and described violent shaking with books and shelves crashing down during the shaking.

Sunao Shimada, a pastor at San Lorenzo Japanese Christian Church, has family in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. He was able to reach them on Friday.

“My wife’s mother, in the house you know, everything is broken dishes dropped from the shelves," he said, “They evacuated the local community, they are afraid about the tsunami. They said it still comes in often.”

Shimada is scheduled to fly to Japan this coming Tuesday. He said he hadn't yet been able to get information about whether the flight would be cancelled. 

With relief efforts underway in response to the disaster, The American Red Cross is reporting a quick response from Bay Area communities.  

“We have had an outpouring of support from our local community and we appreciate their support” Red Cross Spokesperson Caitlin Cobb said.

The Red Cross is asking that folks not send supplies, as they are working with agencies in Japan that have supplies such as clothes and food strategically placed throughout the country. Instead they are encouraging those wanting to help to make financial donations.

The Red Cross has established three methods for submitting donations; visiting www.redcross.org, calling 1-888-4-HELP-BAY, or texting, “Red Cross” to 90999. The Latter will make an automatic donation of $10 through your wireless carrier.

The massive quake, measured at 8.9 on the Richter scale, struck at 2:46 p.m. local time on Friday some 80 miles off the coast of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture, in Japan’s northeast region. The quake triggered a tsunami, which sent a 23-foot wall of water hurling through towns and villages.

The quake was the largest in Japan’s history since the beginning of record keeping. It was the world's fifth-largest quake since 1900.

Aftershocks have struck the country numbering in the hundreds. The aftershocks have measured as high as a magnitude 7.4 on the Richter Scale.

San Lorenzo Japanese Christian Church has their normal weekly prayer service scheduled for Saturday at 7 a.m. Pastor Shimada said they will be praying for Japan during this service. 

***Click on the accompanying video file to hear an interview about relief efforts with a local Red Cross official. 

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