Japan: World Vision responds to quake and tsunami
As the impact of the most powerful 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami begins to be understood, World Vision is responding.
“We are now facing the most tragic disaster in our country’s history. We will have so many challenges as we plan to conduct a relief operation to help respond to the needs of the affected children who are most vulnerable during this time,” said Kenjiro Ban, World Vision’s humanitarian and emergency affairs manager in Japan.
Villages washed away
Death tolls and the numbers of those missing continue to climb. Entire villages were washed away. Hundreds of thousands are displaced. Hardest hit are coastal areas of north-eastern part of the country.
Ban said, “World Vision will be deploying staff to the quake zone to assess the impact and identify immediate needs of the survivors.”
World Vision plans to distribute daily necessities after the assessment has been done.
Children
World Vision Ireland chief executive Helen Keogh said; "It is clear this is a huge disaster. Children have lost their parents, their homes and their schools. Those that have lived through this will be at risk of being severely traumatised.
We will be setting up safe play areas for children bringing them essential supplies and providing trained counsellors who can help them come to terms with what has happened."
Staff
Meanwhile, all World Vision staff are accounted for and the World Vision building was not affected.
“Our prayers and that of the partnership are for the survivors as well as everyone impacted by the calamity,” said Ban.
In the immediate wake of the quake and tsunami last Friday, all the major transportation means like trains and highways were stopped in major affected cities. Electricity was cut off for about 7,000,000 households while telecommunications was down.
World Vision responded to the massive Kobe earthquake in 1995 that claimed 5,500 lives.