JAPAN! Triple Threat, Earth Quake, Tsunami, Radiation

What do you say when a disaster and catastrophe of this magnitude occurs?Our hearts and prayers go out to our Brothers and Sisters in Japan. The projected losses due to this Earth quake and subsequent Tsunami are expected to be above 10.000. A conservative number to be sure, I believe it to be well above that number .

The Japanese know where they live and what the ground below them has proven capable of. The building of earthquake resistant structures has been the norm for decades. I like to think the losses would have been worse had they not turned on the survivor mind set when they did. The planning and prevention must have made some difference. Of course no one could have predicted such and triple threat, the Earthquake / Tsunami and the nuclear reactors safety features failing in such a way. Only time will tell what this represents to the Japanese people. The Japanese have proven to be a strong and capable people, surviving both war and natural disaster for centuries. Let us hope they will pull though this with strength and courage.

Now as always the race seems to be for food, water and shelter. The "recovery" teams search more for the dead then for survivors and clear the area for safe travel of support and relief services.

The water itself burns as debris raked in by the tide from hell carries fire wherever it goes.

With the fire and debris come the bodies, thousands of bodies are beached by the tide.

The crematoriums cannot keep up with the disposal of the dead. At just eighteen persons per day per crematory, it will be some time before all the deceased are tended to.

Like some kind of horror movie, the carnage is medieval and macabre. I only hope they can some day forget the sights they are witnessing today.

As always the children suffer most. At this point, all a survivor can do is think hour by hour and maybe day to day. Hoping for a word from family and loved ones. Chains of contact are important for both emotional relief and logistical support.

The threat of radiation exposure is constant now. Our own military may have been exposed accidentally while responding to requests for assistance. The Navy had a ship inadvertently pass through a possible contaminated zone. Although the exposure time was brief, one never knows what long term affects may come of this.

Potassium iodine is being distributed to flood the Thyroid glads of survivors and emergency teams. This provides some protection from radiation exposure. With the thyroid saturated in such a way, radio active contamination can not occupy this area of the thyroid. This level of protection is slight and only protects the thyroid itself but is critical due to the thyroids ease of contamination and what that represents to the body.

Finding suitable shelter and supplies is what is most important now. Japan is not a large land mass and no area of the island was left totally untouched.

Where does one go when there is no place to go? Who do you turn to when you need everything and have no resources?

As always we as Americans do what we do best, we help. Once again we have sent emergency services teams and support to do what must be done. But it is an unimaginable task and no contribution no matter what size will be ill spent.

Open your hearts, There but for the great grace of God we tread.

www.worldvision.org/HelpJapan