Japan Crisis

An act of nature that can send a mighty technological developed country with the 3rd largest world economy in the 20th century to its knees. We are reminded of the fragility of life and also the transiency of our accomplishments in comparison to eternity. Politics are placed one side, the utmost immediate importance is the rescue of tens of thousands of lives that are still unaccounted for. Many families lost everything in an instant including their loved ones. May aid find those who need desperately..

On a personal note, family was thinking of going to Japan for a holiday in June but due to the different schedules we cannot make it and can only head to Bali for a short holiday. Looking back, no one could have foretell the horrible disaster that Japan is facing now, can only thank God for His mercies that He closed the door for us..I can't imagine the shock and devastation faced by the Japanese who are affected, of losing everything in an instant, all the years of hard work and belief in something, the bonds between family and friends..all swept away by an act of nature.

SENDAI, Japan (Reuters) - Japan faces a growing humanitarian crisis on a scale not seen since World War Two after its devastating earthquake and tsunami left millions of people without water, electricity, homes or heat.

As officials on Sunday predicted the death toll could top 10,000, the country mobilised 100,000 soldiers to deliver food, water and fuel, and pull stranded survivors from buildings and damaged homes. More than 450,000 people

had been evacuated.

It is one of the largest aid deployments of Japan's Self-Defense Forces and doubles the number of troops from Saturday.

"I would like to believe that there still are survivors," said Masaru Kudo, a soldier dispatched to help survivors in Rikuzentakata, a nearly flattened village of 24,500 people in far-northern Iwate prefecture.

Two days after neighbourhoods were submerged by waves that swallowed an estimated 5,000 homes, Rikuzentakata is one of many towns and cities facing both a fast-rising death toll and dwindling supplies of food, fuel and water.

"Water, food, gasoline and, kerosene - these are all lacking," said Rikuzentakata's mayor, Futoshi Toba.

Nationwide, about 1.8 million households were without power, and 1.4 million without electricity, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said.

Tens of thousands of people had taken shelter in schools and stadiums to escape near-freezing temperatures. Television stations showed repeated footage of people sleeping under blankets at makeshift evacuation centres.

About 140,000 people had been evacuated from areas around a crippled nuclear power plant in Koriyama in Fukushima Prefecture. They were scanned for radiation exposure as they entered shelters

At least 10,000 people were feared killed by the earthquake in Miyagi prefecture alone, according to its police chief. As many as 20,820 buildings nationwide were either destroyed or badly damaged, according to Kyodo News.

Many expect the death toll to go higher. Kyodo said local governments had lost contact with tens of thousands of people.