image courtesy of yanko design

on march 11th, 2011, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit japan north of tokyo, causing a devastating tsunami and immense damage on land. still battling power outages and explosions at nuclear plants, hundreds of thousands have been evacuated in the aftermath of the incident, whose death toll is expected to exceed 10,000 persons.

in the wake of the disaster, it is up to the rest of the world to help japan. give what you can, and spread the word to help others do the same.

emergency supplies + food

shelterbox already onground in japan and accepting donations online to increase the aid they can provide, the organization delivers boxes of emergency shelters, water, and vital supplies to families affected by disasters.

salvation army donate online, or text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to make a 10 USD donation from your phone balance.

medical aid

direct relief international working since friday  in the pacific rim, the organization coordinates volunteer efforts and offers medical assistance in emergencies, providing approximately 30 USD worth of medical materials and aid for every 1 USD donated. donate online.

doctors without borders (médecins sans frontières) the organization, which sends licensed doctors to offer free medical aid to those in need, is expanding the teams it has sent to northern Japan, and is accepting donations online.

international medical corps text MED to 80888 to make a 10 USD donation from your phone balance.

red cross visit redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a 10 USD donation from your phone balance. japan red cross society american red cross

onground response and distribution of funds

global giving donate online, or text JAPAN to 50555 (US residents) to make a 10 USD donation from your phone balance.

world vision donate online, or text 4JAPAN to 20222 to make a 10 USD donation from your phone balance.

other services

ARK: animal refuge kansai the organization is accepting volunteers and donations to help animals made homeless by the earthquake and tsunami.

google crisis response page the google crisis response page includes updated information and contact information about the disaster, a person finder, and donation box to the japanese red cross.

view the list of relief organizations rated by charity navigator to provide the best allocation of funds per donation.

how to help japan image from designer tokujin yoshioka