International aid efforts mobilize quickly for Japan
Massive international relief teams, aid offers and fundraising efforts — from national governments to the Red Cross to faith-based agencies to Major League Baseball teams — are pouring into disaster-stricken Japan.
Eight U.S. Navy warships and the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force humanitarian assistance teams were dispatched immediately. The Japanese dubbed the
Marines' effort "Operation Tomodachi" for the word "friendship."
Search and rescue specialty teams from
Fairfax County, Va., and Los Angeles County, dispatched by the U.S. Agency for International Development, have landed in Japan with 140 specialists, 12 search dogs and 45 tons of rescue equipment, ready to begin efforts at dawn today, the USAID said Sunday.
Japan's specialists in
earthquake rescue efforts were serving in
Christchurch, New Zealand, which was devastated by a
quake last month, when the tsunami struck their coast this weekend.
Now, the
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says New Zealand and 68 other nations — including
China, historically a military and economic rival of Japan — are offering assistance to Japan.
The State Department said Sunday that it wasn't aware of any casualties among an estimated 160,000 Americans in Japan, including about 1,300 in the most affected areas.
Non-governmental aid groups and global faith-based relief efforts are galvanizing with Japanese and Pacific Rim partners to step in where they can with food, shelter and medical assistance.
The
American Red Cross, in addition to addressing needs of victims of tsunami damage on the U.S. West Coast, is supporting the Japanese Red Cross, which has 62 medical relief teams fanning out with mobile medical clinics to the most damaged areas.
But the international aid group
Doctors Without Borders' website struck a poignant note. While its assessment team in Japan is "closely monitoring the situation around the Fukushima nuclear power plants. In the event of a serious nuclear incident, it is only the Japanese government that will be in a position to react."
Dozens of non-governmental groups are listed at InterAction.org, an alliance of U.S.-based agencies focused on humanitarian relief, including the
Salvation Army, Doctors Without Borders,
Catholic Relief Services,
World Vision and Samaritan's Purse.
Sports teams are also stepping up. The
Los Angeles Dodgers will gather funds for the Red Cross from fans arriving at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. The
San Diego Padres will collect donations May 20 as part of their Japanese Heritage Night, according to the website for Major League Baseball.
Americans without expertise should not head for Japan, the State Department said. It issued a travel alert strongly urging Americans to avoid unnecessary travel there now, including tourist trips.
Although flights have resumed at all major airports except Sendai Airport in northern Japan, travel inside the country remains difficult in some areas and the threat of aftershocks continues. Trains and subways in Tokyo have resumed service, but many roads have been damaged in the Tokyo area and in northern Japan.
Many major U.S. airlines are letting passengers delay their trips without having to pay re-booking fees. Some cruise lines and tour operators have postponed stops or tours. Azamara Club Cruises, for instance, canceled its stop in Osaka on Sunday.