PRESS RELEASE
The Salvation Army Responds in Japan
March 14, 2011 – The Salvation Army is providing immediate assistance in Japan for thousands of residents affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and is mobilizing staff and volunteers to bring in more support.
Millions are struggling in near-freezing temperatures with no food or water due to the disasters and forced evacuations associated with several damaged nuclear reactors.
Among The Salvation Army’s efforts:
• Three disaster teams are working in several areas, including Sendai, the quake’s epicenter. One team is concentrating on relief efforts near Fukushima, where there were mass evacuations due to the damage of a nuclear power plant.
• Relief workers from Salvation Army international headquarters in London, England are on their way to Japan. Trained relief teams from various countries will be sent to assist based on their skillsets and their proximity to Japan.
• The day after the disaster, a contingent of Salvation Army relief workers from Tokyo traveled to Sendai to assist. What was normally a six-hour journey took 20 hours.
• The Salvation Army of Japan includes more than 1,000 employees and officers. They operate 81 Salvation Army service centers, including eight housing units and two hospitals, most of which are in Tokyo.
Commissioner Makoto Yoshida, leader of The Salvation Army’s Japan Territory, was at territorial headquarters in Tokyo when the quake hit.
“Our building swayed tremendously – it was hard for us to keep standing and many of us were really frightened,” he said on March 11. “We are sending a team to Sendai tonight and tomorrow we will start providing basic necessities, as well as assessing the level of damage so we can decide what else we can do.”
How to Give
One hundred percent of your donation will be used for Salvation Army relief efforts in Japan.
If you would like to provide food, water and emotional care for survivors:
• Donate online. Be sure to designate your donation “Japan.”
• Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Be sure to designate your donation “Japan.”
• Make a $10 donation by texting the word Japan to 80888. The donation will be added to your cell phone bill. Make sure to respond YES to the return message in order for the donation to be completed.
• Checks designated “Japan” can be mailed to The Salvation Army, 2445 Prior Ave. N., Roseville, MN 55313.
