Red Cross Launches Huge Tsunami Relief Effort Skip to main content

Red Cross Launches Huge Tsunami Relief Effort

Japanese Red Cross Society worker feeds baby at relief center
Photo: sayaJRCS
Japanese Red Cross Society worker feeds baby at relief center

The International Red Cross Federation says more than two million Japanese Red Cross volunteers are involved in a huge operation to assist millions of earthquake and tsunami survivors, in what is considered to be Japan’s worst disaster since World War II.  To date, more than 2,700 people are confirmed dead, more than 3,700 are missing and nearly half a million are homeless. 

According to IFRC, the Japanese Red Cross has deployed mobile clinics to towns to assist survivors who remain without electricity and have little water.  It has dispatched 115 National Disaster Response Teams and nearly 1,000 medical staff.

Counseling offered


Red Cross spokesman, Paul Conneally says more than 2,600 trained psycho-social nurses are on the ground in the affected areas.  He says they will be playing an increasingly important role in the coming weeks and months; helping tsunami survivors deal with the loss of their families, friends, livelihoods and possessions.

"Also, they have an incredible resource of two million volunteers, trained volunteers, covering all sorts of needs from helicopter pilots, to cooks, to first aid," Conneally said.  "So, they really are a national society which is extremely well-positioned to both assess the situation and respond to the situation as it unfolds, despite the major challenges."

Relief effort

Right now, the Japanese Red Cross says it has the capacity to deal with the massive relief operation and it is not asking for international assistance.  However, it says it does welcome cash donations to help the recovery efforts.

Besides the devastating effects of the tsunami, Japan also has to deal with the consequences of the potentially harmful effects of radiation leaks from its tsunami-damaged nuclear facilities.

The JRC has nuclear decontamination teams throughout the country.  They are working closely with the government to prepare people for further medical treatment.

Priorities

But, Red Cross Under-Secretary General for Program Services, Matthias Schmale, says for now the Japanese Red Cross'  priorities are to deal with the needs of tsunami survivors and not with the effects of the nuclear accidents.

"What concerns us about the nuclear catastrophe is how it might affect the tsunami response operation," Schmale explained. "So we are not, as such, responding to the nuclear disaster because humanitarian needs around this are not clear at this stage.  What is very clear is the fate of the survivors of the tsunami and their loved ones.  And that is the priority."

Immediate priorities include search and rescue, caring for the displaced, providing basic relief to the affected population, and psychological counseling.

The Red Cross says it is also extremely important to help the elderly.  They comprise about 30 percent of the population and are extremely vulnerable. 

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/east-pacific/Red-Cross-Launches-Huge-Tsunami-Relief-Effort-118092954.html

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f