Japanese Tsunami Relief Is Still In Process

By Katelyn Buckner


On March 11, 2011 an earthquake struck north east of Japan. Within an hour a massive tsunami was unleashing a powerful fury against the east coast, unlike one that had ever been recorded in Japanese history. It would be estimated that over nineteen thousand lives were lost. Women became widows and children became orphans. In many cases entire families were lost. The threat of nuclear chaos loomed heavy. For those that were not killed their lives would never be the same. The catastrophic situation attracted the attention of the entire world. And immediately, as is the case in of most catastrophes, a Japanese tsunami relief began.

This wave of attention translated into funds that were quickly collected. It is common knowledge that the Japanese are focused on hard work, honor, and being self sufficient. The event reminded the world that what happened to the Japanese could happen to anyone. If the magnitude is significant enough, any nation would need help.

It has been approximately 2 years since it occurred. There have been long strides made to rebuild the decimated areas and bring things back to normal. There is much that still needs to be handled. The resiliency of the Japanese nation is truly evident.

There is now much less attention on this earthquake driven nightmare. Other situations have occurred that are garnering global attention and support. But there are still organizations that are assisting Japan in many ways. There are charitable organizations are still accepting different types of support. This includes financial.

There have yet to be disasters where no concerns of misappropriated funds existed. There have been concerns with tsunami relief. When compared to other complaints the difference is that the Japanese government spent money in a way that was deemed inappropriate. There was total transparency with the spending. There have yet to be any complaints of people taking money for their own use.

When making donations to charity is is wise to stay clear of scams. There tend to be unscrupulous entities around all the time which will try to take advantage of a touch situation. Before giving donations to an organization contributors should determine if it is legitimate. There are online websites which actually score charities based on the percentages of contributions that actually make it to the needy. This could help make good choices on where to donate.

Some charities provide informative reports on how donations are being spent. This level of transparency should be sought when giving. And it is good to keep in mind that a legitimate charity will never try to make one feel guilty if they give to another charity. Their primary concern is that those needing help receive it.

The people of Japan will continue working towards restoring their nation. The orphans made by the tragedy will grow, reach maturity, and become integral parts of their society. Owners of businesses will get back to normal. Eventually things will be better than before. For each individual that gives towards the Japanese tsunami relief, the restorations will be due in part to their efforts.




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