Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Photo: Nexco East Japan via Kyodo News
Photo: Nexco East Japan via Kyodo News
Traducción española Miguel Ortiz, traduction française Florence Leport
11 March 2011

ICVolunteers expresses its condolences to colleagues and friends directly or indirectly affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit the coast of Japan on Friday, 11 March 2011.

The powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's northeast coast, triggering a deadly tsunami that washed far inland and sparked fires that burned through the night.

Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands lost everything.

Testimonial from Professor Yoshiki Mikami, the Head of the Language Observatory Project at the Nagaoka University of Technology, where ICV's antenna in Japan is located:

"While tsunamis and earthquakes are a part of daily life in Japan, the one that struck on 11th March is the one we encounter only once in five hundred years said the ex-president of the Seismological Society of Japan in a news report.

The number of victims reported so far is 'over 1,000'. But actually the numbers will be far larger. Many towns and villages have not been visited after the attack because there is no access to roads there. We still do not know who we have lost.

It will take many days, even many months until peoples' lives go back to normal. Luckily myself, my colleagues and my family are all safe, but many people in the affected regions have lost everything, their families, friends and houses.

Japanese people have long struggled with nature. Sometimes we win and sometimes we are defeated."

What can you do?

If you are a photographer and have experienced the earth quake and tsunami, we would be grateful if you would share your story with us. Given recent events, we would like to dedicate a special space in our GreenVoice call for environmental photography -- the theme of which is water this year. More...

To make a donation for rescue and rebuilding efforts or for more information about the latest developments in Japan, including the nuclear threat and disaster, see:

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