March 13, 2011jetwebmaster

Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Information

Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Efforts and Contacting Loved Ones in Japan

(for information on where you can donate to the relief effort, please scroll to the bottom of this email.)

JAS Washington DC has sent the following information to its members, and we want to share it with you.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan who were affected by today’s overwhelmingly powerful earthquake and tsunami. We hope that your loved ones and friends in Japan are safe.

We are sharing two kinds of information with you. First is how you can help. Second is how you can contact friends and family in Japan.

(1) First, how you can help.The American Red Cross has already set up an online donation site to provide assistance to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami at http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main. You probably also have heard that President Obama has promised all possible assistance to the people of Japan. US military assets, including the USS Ronald Reagan, an aircraft carrier, and other ships are moving to the region, ready to provide aid.

(2) Second, how to find out about your friends and family. As the earthquake hit, our Director of Educational Programs, Risa Kamio, was flying to Tokyo. Her plane was diverted to Yokota Air Force Base and then to Kansai. Risa has shared the following information with us.

“I was on the way from DC to Narita when the earthquake hit and the plane could not land. I am spending the night at Kansai Airport.”

“They are asking people not to try to use the regular phone lines to find out if your family and friends are safe. Use Twitter, Skype, Mixi, etc. and save the phone lines for someone who really needs it in the Tohoku area.”

Google has created the site, “Google Person Finder“. It currently has the record of 7200 people and you can type in the name of person you are looking for and find out if he/she is safe.

If the person you are looking for has a cell phone in Japan, and you know which company his/her cellphone is, you can check each company’s website below and type in the phone number to see if he/she has left a message. The available areas are Aomori, Miyagi, Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures.

神尾　りさ
Risa Kamio
Director of Educational Programs
Japan-America Society of Washington DC”

(3) To locate US citizens in Japan:
The US Embassy and Consulates in Japan are working to obtain information on the status of U.S. citizens and to provide assistance as necessary.
*If you have concerns about a specific U.S. citizen in Japan, please send the State Department an email atJapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov
*If you have concerns about a specific U.S. citizen in the Tsunami zone outside of Japan, please send the State Department an email at
PacificTsunamiUSC@state.gov
Although telephone lines are disrupted, you may want to try contacting your loved one by email, text (SMS) message, or other social media.

Department of Defense Inquiries
*U.S. Forces Japan reports that all personnel have been accounted for, and there are no reports of injuries.
*The Department of Defense instructs that family members of Department of Defense personnel should call 1-800-342-9647 to inquire about their loved ones or contact the individual unit command directly for more specific information.

Japanese and Other Citizen
*If you are calling regarding a Japanese citizen, please contact the Japanese Embassy (Washington – 202-238-6700) or local Japanese Consulate.
*If you are calling regarding a citizen of a third country, please contact that country’s Embassy or Consulate.  Contact information for foreign Embassies and Consulates in the United States is available in the Country Specific Information links at www.travel.state.gov.

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