March 17, 2011
The following is an adapted excerpt from a communication received from Harry and Jane Landaw, field leaders for Japan.
Thank you for your continued prayers for us here in Japan. At this time, all members of our Alliance team are safe. Our hearts are deeply troubled with the suffering of those in the northern part of Japan, where the tsunami destroyed entire towns and villages. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost everything.
The Alliance has thirteen U.S. international workers and four Canadian workers, serving from Hiroshima in the western part of Japan to here in the Tokyo area, which is considered eastern Japan. The devastation from the tsunami took place about 130 miles north of where we are living (Tokorozawa is about 19 miles west of downtown Tokyo), along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Although Tokyo was not hit by the large tsunami, there was major damage here from the earthquake, which is now reported to have been of a magnitude of 8.0 in our area.
We continue to feel many aftershocks and tremors throughout the days and nights. Tuesday night at 10:30 p.m., as we were preparing to go to bed, an aftershock registering 7.0 occurred on the other side of Tokyo, moving toward Hiroshima. For the first time in our lives, we slept with our jeans and sweatshirts on. These aftershocks are expected to continue for quite a while yet.
Gasoline is basically impossible to purchase, and electricity is more and more limited. Most items at the supermarket are available with the exception of certain products-rice, milk, toilet paper, and the radiation masks that we are wearing these day. People are trying to stay indoors as much as possible because of the nuclear threat. The radius around the reactors is now at a 50-mile evacuation. We are about 90 miles away from that perimeter in our area.
The weather has turned quite cold, and it is snowing in the region of the epicenter of the earthquake. There are nearly 3,000 evacuation centers, and many have no heat or electricity. Food and water are scarce. It is very serious.
It is very difficult to keep our minds focused on anything other than what has happened, what we need to do to prepare for more problems, and how to go about ministering not only to the people in the northern region but also to everyone throughout Japan who is suffering at this time.
The Worse Calamity since World War II
On Sunday night, March 13, the Prime Minister spoke to the nation, saying that this is the worst calamity to come to Japan since the destruction from World War II. His challenge to the people was very moving. The government and the civil defense forces are working hard to get necessities to those who have been rescued, as well as searching for those who might still be alive. Many nations have sent rescue teams to help. What a thrill it was to see our U.S. rescue teams arrive at Aomori Airbase on Monday.
The nuclear reactor situation is also very serious and presents another complex threat to the rescue efforts. The U.S. Aircraft Carrier SS Ronald Reagan has arrived and has been involved in rescue missions. However, after the explosion at the nuclear facility, radiation was detected in the area, so the carrier moved further out to sea. Small amounts of radiation were found on the helicopters used in the rescue mission and on the clothing of the servicemen. Since then, as you have seen on TV, there have been a series of related problems, which have not been resolved. The situation is quite tense, and it is difficult to get accurate information all of the time.
How You Can Help
Many of you are writing and asking, “How can we help?” “What can we do?” “What do you need?” Obviously, the most important thing is prayer. When natural disasters occur, we always wonder why something like this happened and where God is in all this. The only thing that we know for sure is that God is the source of our strength, and His strength is unleashed when His people pray. Please pray for the nation of Japan. Pray for the many who have suffered so much loss. Pray for those in the nation who have lost their loved ones. Pray that Christians and churches can minister effectively to those who are hurting with so many emotional needs right now.
Many missions organizations in Japan have received inquiries about assistance from outside of Japan. CAMA (Compassion and Mercy Associates), the relief and development arm of the C&MA, is partnering with CRASH Japan (Christian, Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope), an organization already on the ground with a large network of experienced volunteers who know the culture and language. CAMA is the conduit by which our Alliance team in Japan will be assisting in ministries. For people from the United States, we are encouraging everyone to contribute through CAMA. CAMA will then send those funds either directly to CRASH Japan or through our Japan Alliance mission account, and we will pass them on to CRASH Japan.
Missions organizations in Japan, along with the national church associations, are partnering with CRASH to minister to the needs of churches and Christians in the areas of the destruction. The goal is then to establish bases of operation at key places in the affected area to do relief and recover ministries. It is important to note that CRASH is not a “rescue” organization. There are many professional rescue groups, including the Japanese Civil Defense Force and U.S. military personnel who are stationed here in Japan, along with more than 90 nations around the world that have sent rescue teams to search for those who are still missing.
Because the situation is still very unstable with many aftershocks and with the threat of a nuclear catastrophe, it is impossible to send volunteers to the area right now. The professionals are there, and they are doing their best to perform search and rescue operations.
Many people are asking, “Can I send you clothing, toothbrushes, blankets, or food to give to those who have lost everything?” The experience of CRASH, in their previous relief efforts here in Japan, has shown them that the Japanese system is very effective in providing emergency supplies; therefore, items such as clothing, blankets, and food from outside the country are not really needed and will just get in the way of the relief effort. There are no places to handle storage or delivery of those things.
Right now, CRASH is gathering intelligence. Teams have been sent to investigate possible sites for setting up relief ministries. CRASH is also gathering information on available resources, such as you. If you are thinking of coming to Japan to assist in some way, I would suggest getting your passports in order and arranging for housing, transportation, food, etc. You would have to make arrangements for travel to and from the airports to the Command Center located in Higashi Kurume, Tokyo. It is important to remember that, for volunteers, there are no funds available to house or feed any of the volunteers who come to help. That would all be at personal expense.
As mentioned in press releases on the CRASH Web site, there is a tremendous need for financial donations at this time. Just the logistics of setting up the Command Center will require a significant amount of funds. None of the volunteers here will be paid, so your gifts will be used to do relief and recovery in the affected areas. You can make contributions through CAMA.
Please understand that even though Tokyo was not hit with the tsunami, those of us living in the Tokyo area are being affected by all of this. There is a shortage of commodities everywhere. Jane went to the grocery store at 9:30 a.m., and all of the milk was gone. Lines at the checkouts stretched from the front all the way to the back of the store. Fortunately, we have enough food at this time, our water situation is good, and we have a roof over our heads. We feel blessed.
A Complex Situation
Because of the problems with the nuclear reactors, the power company has put this part of Japan on a rotating power outage. Every day, for approximately three hours, each area in this section of Japan will have a power outage. This is designed to protect the entire nation from having a blackout. That means that, in certain parts of the area, trains are not running. I have been trying to buy gas for our car since Monday morning but still have not been able to find any available. It is becoming more and more difficult to get around, as different train lines are shut down at various times. If our train line is shut down, and it was on Monday, we would have to walk for miles to get to a train station that was operating. Just “living” has gotten much more complex.
The reason for sharing all this is not to make you feel sad for us. We are blessed because we are alive and have a place to live. However, if you were to come to Japan right now, it would be very difficult for you to get around, and it would be impossible for those of us who are here to get to where you are. It is still not safe. The advice that we are receiving is to have people wait until it can be determined that the earthquake aftershocks have ceased and the nuclear reactor problem has been resolved. Until then, bringing in people from outside the country to volunteer is very dangerous. We appreciate your patience and your prayers while we wait for things to settle down here.
We hope that this information will be helpful to you as you assist us in this relief and recovery ministry.
With gratitude for your faithful support,
Harry and Jane
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