Japan Facing Growing Humanitarian Crisis, Some Areas Left Stranded

[jumptheshadow]

Evacuation centers are packed, temperatures will be cold for the next few days, medicine, food and water supplies are dwindling.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698 Watch news loop.


Some residents believe survivors in devastated areas are being "treated like lepers," as if "we are contaminated." Supplies are not coming into their areas.

Source: CNN NHK Live Feed Watch news loop. Sorry, I do not have a direct link to this. The news here is full of scholarly discussions about radiation levels but there's an interview about local conditions that is as tough as anything that came out of Katrina.


Russian nuclear chief says Japan is "playing out...worst case scenario."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698


UK rescue team stopped from mission by paperwork.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12756366

My Japanese friends have touched my life so deeply. Please donate to a good relief fund and keep them in your thoughts.

[MineralMan]

1. Japanese Insularity Will Work Against Them

The Japanese government is going to have to drop its normal "we can take care of our own problems" attitude very quickly, if these isolated communities are going to receive the assistance they need. This a time to open things up and let the rest of the world come to Japan's aid as quickly as possible and in whatever way works. That's not going to be easy for that nation, I'm afraid.

[jumptheshadow]

2. The interviewee was more than hinting...

that certain areas are now perceived as contaminated and the survivors are being forsaken... Is it an emotional reaction or is it true? I hope this interview is transcribed by a legitimate news source so I can link to it.

[MineralMan]

3. I don't really know the answer to that question. I have a sense

that it's not impossible that such is the case, but I don't know Japanese culture well enough to know if that's actually the case. It is different in many ways from our own culture, though.

[subterranean]

5. It seems more like an emotional reaction to me.

They've had little food or water for days, and assistance has been slow to arrive. So it's not surprising that people are getting frustrated and some might start to feel they're being abandoned. I'm not there, but I don't think that's the case. It's just that as prepared as Japan is for disasters, it was not prepared for one of this scale, with three major disasters happening all at once.

[jumptheshadow]

4. British Government Correction

On the U.K. rescue team:

>>More on the British tream sent back from Japan. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has told the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that any aid groups arriving in Japan needed to be integrated with the wider relief operation or to have their own logistical support, but that the UK team had had neither.<<

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[jumptheshadow]

6. More breaking news from BBC

>>The EU's energy chief Guenther Oettinger has said that in the coming hours "there could be further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island". He told the European Parliament the Fukushima nuclear site was "effectively out of control". "The cooling systems did not work, and as a result we are somewhere between a disaster and a major disaster."<<

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

The BBC news feed seems to be the best one going...

[Generic Other]

7. Ibaragi is the prefecture just south of the reactors

100x more radiation since last night.

[slackmaster]

8. Bump for being THE ONLY JAPAN THREAD ON PAGE ONE OF GD THAT ISN'T ONLY ABOUT NUKES!

:nuke:

[jumptheshadow]

9. "Anxiety and anger...have reached the boiling point..."

>>The governor of the region at the centre of Japan's nuclear crisis has criticised official handling of the evacuation of the area around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Fukushima prefecture governor Yuhei Sato said: "Anxiety and anger felt by people have reached boiling point."<<

>>Mr Sato said centres already housing people who had been moved from their homes near the plant did not have enough hot meals and basic necessities such as fuel and medical supplies. "We're lacking everything," he said.<<


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12763273

[BillyJack]

10. What can we do to help?

Is the international community sending supplies/personnel? I haven't heard very much about that other than the US military's efforts. Are other countries sending food, medicine, blankets, search & rescue teams, etc.?

Sorry, I haven't been in touch with REAL news/current affairs for several days now...and I don't consider being able to briefly watch CNN or pick up a USA Today at the hotel "keeping in touch with the news or current affairs".

[jumptheshadow]

12. List of active relief agencies but be wary

This is a partial list of agencies that are contributing to the relief efforts:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_newsroom/20110311/wl_yblog_newsroom/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-how-to-help

Before you contribute, I would check the Internet to see what grades each agency gets for per dollar effectiveness.

Thank you for your kindness.

[jumptheshadow]

11. Mayor says drivers refusing to go to stricken areas

This was the quote I was looking for:

>>At least 140,000 people in the 12 mile radius around the plant have been evacuated. Those in a 12 to 19 mile radius of the plant have been ordered to stay indoors.

The mayor of Minami Soma, a town within that radius, said that residents are being stigmatized, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported.

"We are being labeled as contaminated lepers," he said.

The mayor said that drivers are refusing to transport supplies to them, NHK reported.<<

http://abcnews.go.com/International/japan-nuclear-crisis-rising-radiation-levels-halt-fukushima/story?id=13146516&page=2

[BillyJack]

13. horrible

Difficult as it may be, those ppl need to "walk out", burn their clothes, shower somewhere, and "go on" as best they can.

Right or wrong - those ppl can't just "sit there" - that will not go well for them, not matter how angry they get.

This IS a crisis they are in.

Horrible, but true.