Rotary Foundation sets up disaster fund for Japan

By Ryan Hyland 
Rotary International News -- 15 March 2011

People carry their furniture from their ruined home 15 March in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, four days after an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan's northeast coast towns. AP Photo/Kyodo News

Rotarians and non-Rotarians can donate online. Clubs and districts can contribute cash and District Designated Fund (DDF) allocations to the fund.

The 9.0-magnitude quake, Japan's largest in history, and the tsunami that followed it caused widespread devastation, paralyzing much of the northern coast. More than 10,000 people have been killed, and thousands are missing. Millions have been left without clean water or power, and at least 550,000 people have been forced from their homes.

A series of explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 140 miles northeast of Tokyo, damaged reactors and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands. The Japanese government is working to contain the situation. Damage from the earthquake and tsunami is estimated at US$170 billion.

RI President-nominee Sakuji Tanaka, of the Rotary Club of Yashio, Saitama, was in Lisbon, Portugal, on Rotary business during the disasters. He was able to reach his wife, Kyoko, on the phone to confirm her safety.

"She said it was the most horrifying experience she'd ever had," says Tanaka. "The northern region of Japan is still in chaos. We are unsure when this chaos will end or when things will get better. However, I am most thankful to know that Rotarians around the world care for us."

Japanese RI directors Masaomi Kondo and Masahiro Kuroda, as well as staff at Rotary International's Japan office, are confirmed to be safe.

Rotary clubs and districts worldwide are mobilizing efforts to bring urgently needed aid to victims.