The devastating situation in Japan has been weighing on my heart since I received news of the earthquake and Tsunami. I did relief work in St. Bernard Parish (New Oreleans) after Katrina, and could not fathom the scale of the damage before I arrived in the area. My mind's eye imagines that Japan makes the Katrina Aftermath look like a walk in the park.
There are several troubling things about the global response to the crisis in Japan (and I won't address them all). The most troubling thing to me is the fact that a relatively minor incident with a nuclear power plant is receiving most of the attention. I said relatively minor on purpose. My reasoning is simple? There is a confirmed death toll of around 3500 from the earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that will easily top 10,000 and billions (if not hundreds of billions - or trillions) of dollars in property damage from the same event.
And, as of yet, there has been one confirmed death from the nuclear power plant incident in Fukushima - from the explosion, not radiation.
The truth of the matter is that we don't need to be focusing on the nuclear situation in the country. Instead, we need to be focused on supporting established relief organizations do what they exist for: help these people. Japan doesn't need an influx of people, they need an influx of relief supplies. I recommend giving through Convoy of Hope which is one of the most cost efficient charities in the world.
Rather than focus on fears of a nuclear disaster that is being overhyped, let's focus on helping Japan rebuild.
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