Tsunami March 2011
Situation update
At 5:46 AM GMT, an earthquake of 8.9 magnitude struck Japan, closing refineries, nuclear plants, Tokyo Narita airport and the tube network. The earthquake was followed by several replicas, some with a magnitude as high as 7.1. This is the worst earthquake that has hit Japan, a country prone to natural disasters, since 1923.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, came a tsunami wave of 10m (33 feet), sending shipping containers, cars and debris crashing into cities and towns.
The countries in the area such as Indonesia and the Philippines are bracing themselves for the tsunami alert, with waves expected to hit their shores within hours.
The Humanitarian Forum's members are already on the ground in Japan, with Dompet Dhuafa Republika volunteers from the Tokyo and Hong Kong offices on standby.
British Red Cross is considering allocating funds fromits Disaster Fund to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
IHH has deployed a team of five volunteers for urgent relief needs assessment. The team provided food, drinking water and diapers to the 800 deprived people staying at the schools and sport complexes. The aid benefitted over 5000 people.
Read here the current situation and the Government of Japan's response as of 17th March.
