Tragedy in Japan

http://abcnews.go.com/International/japanese-bureaucracy-delays-foreign-search-rescue-teams/story?id=13126904&page=2http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/14/501364/main20042760.shtml?tag=stack

The tsunami and earthquakes in Japan are so devastating. I feel so bad for all those people. Right now in Kyodo, the number of bodies just washing up on the coast line is around 10,000. The number of bodies washing up on two shorelines in Miyagi is estimated to be around 2,000. Right now they are running out of body bags, and are asking neighboring cities for their help. Most people in Japan opt to be cremated. The crematorium there is only able to cremate 18 bodies a day, so they also have to ask neighboring cities to help with the bodies. It is estimated that 10,000 people have perished. That is just in the Miyagi province alone. Ships were found flipped over as far as ½ mile inland. It was said that initial repair costs would range in the tens of thousands of dollars. I can’t imagine how long it will take to rebuild. I don’t even think they have any idea either. Currently, there are millions of people without power. For the fourth day in a row, millions of people are without water, food, and heat in freezing temperatures. What most people are eating at shelters are rice balls, or instant noodles. Right now, only 10% of the food needed is being delivered. There are 430,000 people estimated to be living in the emergency shelters or with relatives. Another 24,000 people are currently stranded with nowhere to go. The Governor of Tokyo told the people they were being punished by heaven for being too greedy. Senior geologist, Henry Harjono, says it will be a miracle if the death toll turns out to be 10,000 or less. He went on to say that there was an “earlier disaster” that killed 230,000 in which only 184,000 bodies were found. Currently 150 Americans and 12 dogs from Virginia and California are to start today looking for survivors in Japan. The US Military Assistance operation for Japan has been dubbed Operation Tomodachi, which means “friendship” in Japanese. An aircraft carrier showed up with helicopters that are being used to distribute food and other supplies to several towns. A Swiss team was the first to show up. They have 50 rescuers and 9 rescue dogs. The Swiss were made famous for training St. Bernard’s to find people trapped in the Alps. The dogs they brought to Japan are retrievers, Australian collies, and border collies. They are trained to find survivors that have been buried in the rubble. Even though it’s been four days, they are still hopeful they will find survivors. As of now, the Japanese government has approved help from 49 countries. The stock market has also plunged over likelihood of huge losses by Japanese industries including Toyota and Honda. We prayed for the people of Japan at church yesterday. The power of prayer is amazing, but I just hope it’s enough.