Kumamoto Earthquake

On behalf of the National Association of Japanese Canadians we wish to extend our sincere condolences to the people of Kumamoto, Japan for the loss of life and damage to property.  As of today, the prefectural government of Kumamoto and the Kumamoto Japanese Red Cross have asked for donations within Japan and have not reached out to the international community.  We are in constant communication with Japanese officials here in Canada and will inform you of specific relief efforts.
The Canadian Red Cross has informed us today that they have not received any requests for assistance from their Japanese counterparts.

The damage to date:
1.  frequent aftershocks of magnitude 3 to 5 continues and experts have warned of more to come;
2. death toll raised to 44 with 8 people still missing;
3. the number injured in Kumamoto and neighbouring prefectures is 1,101;
4. 94,000 people have been evacuated from their homes;
5. 2,200 houses completely or partially destroyed;
6. 185,000 households are currently experiencing lack of water.  115,000 will have regular water service restored by the morning of April 19th;
7. Kumamoto airport is closed but expected to have partial service on April 19th.

Please note that your local NAJC member organizations – unless they are in touch with specific people in Kumamoto – have the same information.  They are awaiting further information before taking action on relief activities locally.

We are confident that the resilience of the people of Japan, coupled with the support of the international community, will help them recover from this natural disaster.

The Kumamoto prefectural government has set up a donation page, in English, which can be found at:
http://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/kiji_15456.html?type=top