Our family has been deeply troubled by the recent events in Japan. On March 11 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit off the northeast coast and the resulting tsunami hit the coast line moments later. For days the country was rocked by aftershocks. There was immediate loss of life and the death count continues to mount as bodies are found or presumed lost to sea. Of even greater concern is the potential for radiation leaks from damaged nuclear reactors.
We feel the same sadness and concern that the world feels in general. But for our family the sadness is even deeper. We hosted an AFS student from Japan in 2002. I have tried to contact her and her family but have not heard any response yet. She lives in the southern part of the country but her parents live further north, although not as far north as the damaged reactors. I am hoping, assuming, that she and her family are OK and are simply pre-occupied with the immediacy of events around them. We continue to try to make contact.
If you are interested in potential ways to help, Google has compiled a list of sites where you could contribute money (Red Cross, Unicef ...) They all look like very reputable, well-established organizations.
We are citizens of a Global community . . .
--Katie
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