geri_chan | Links to aid Japan

The news from Japan continues to be heartbreaking. I feel so helpless sitting at home and watching the devastation on TV, and I wanted to do something constructive, even if it's just making a monetary donation, which I did. Honestly, it still feels woefully inadequate, but at least it's something I can do, however small a gesture. Here are a few links to share:

Yahoo has a list of relief and recovery organizations that you can donate to, and Daniella Orihuela-Gruber at All About Manga has a list of links to charitable organizations giving supplies & money directly to Japan. If you can't afford to make a monetary donation but would like to help in some way, you might consider auctioning off a piece of fanfiction, fan art, etc. at

help_japan.

I still feel like weeping every time I watch the news, but there are small miracles and moments of hope. I remember watching the news coverage of the tsunami sweeping over farmland and seeing cars on the road trying to outrun it. I prayed that those people would make it to safety, while at the same time fearing the worst. On tonight's local newscast, they showed a brief interview with someone who did manage to outrun the tsunami. He was a passenger in a cab (he wasn't Japanese, and his accent sounded like he might be British), and said that he urged the driver to keep going and not stop for traffic signals or signs. (It boggles me that a driver would stop for a red light or stop sign with a tsunami behind you, but on the other hand, I'm sure it's difficult to keep your cool and think logically in a time of panic. At least they made it out okay in the end.) It was also reported that a man was rescued from the roof of his house after it had been swept out to sea. Doesn't make the bad news any less heartbreaking, but I'm glad to know that some people are being rescued.

I know many fans are worried about their favorite manga-ka, seiyuu, singers, actors, and other people involved in the manga/anime/game/entertainment industries in Japan. I was relieved to hear that Youka Nitta is all right, and she posted a very moving message on her official website. Ironically, the final story in the last volume (#14) of Haru wo Daiteita, "Lifeline," was about Katou being injured in earthquake. It turns out that Iwaki's statement near the end of that story ("You can't live just by nourishment of the body. The more you are in pain, the more you need nourishment of the heart") was inspired by something that a reader told her in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake. The reader came to see her at an event, saying that she was buying relief supplies for a friend in Kobe, and the friend asked her to buy Nitta-sensei's book, saying that it was "the 'best relief supply' to her." Sensei says that those being rescued now "are still in need of water, food, and warm blankets," and she prays "that the day comes soon when they can find nourishment for their hearts."

I must admit, I did re-read "Lifeline" during the past few days, and while it was difficult and painful to read at a time like this, I did find some comfort and reassurance in it.

ETA:

fandomaid is also holding a Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Fundraising Auction.