Sunday, March 13, 2011

How to Help: Japan Earthquake Relief Efforts

Huffington Post has a good resource on where to donate or provide services to aid in the relief efforts in Japan.

As with most natural disasters, it is best to provide monetary donations to notable aid services, rather than trying to put together donations since the quality of materials donated (like clothing) may not be relevant - in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in South Asia, clothing donations included winter clothes that were not needed in a tropical weather climate.

International organizations and countries are offering up aid and support. As always, the US is on the vanguard of disaster relief and the US Navy is providing logistical support and assistance to the hardest hit areas.

Even Afghanistan's war torn city of Kandahar is donating $50,000 to assist the Japanese recovery (Japan has been a major contributor to redevelopment in Afghanistan).
Even the poor southern Afghan city of Kandahar announced it was donating $50,000 to the "brothers and sisters" of Japan.

"I know $50,000 is not a lot of money for a country like Japan, but it is a show of appreciation from the Kandahar people," Kandahar Mayor Ghulam Haidar Hamidi told Reuters.

Japan has pledged $5 billion in aid to Afghanistan over the next five years, more than one-third of the total $13 billion in foreign aid pledged to the country over the next five years.

How to donate without getting scammed.

In New York City, people can call into 311 to donate or access the 311 website.

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