On Friday, March 11th, an earthquake hit the eastern coast of Japan with a magnitude of 8.9, followed by aftershocks and a tsunami. Many tsunami warnings and watches were issued for the entire Pacific Rim area. Explosions ensued at the Fukushima nuclear plant and cooling systems are experiencing failures. All aspects of this crisis are under heavy watch. We urge you to follow the situation using the helpful resources below.
Crisis Mappers across the globe have mobilized. An urgent response is needed in monitoring of news/social media and online sources, as well as with IT-related aspects of coordination, particularly for those volunteers with relevant language skills. (If you don’t speak Japanese, that’s okay, your participation is much needed).
Groups like CrisisCommons are taking charge. Organizations involved are accessing the comprehensive list of resources CrisisCommons is working on here, on their Wiki page.
If you would like to contribute in any way, please contact Nadia at [email protected]. We are also looking for eyewitness reports, so if you have friends in the area, contact us.
How to help with Ushahidi and Japanese translation
There is information coming out by the minute, and the response efforts are moving rapidly – we will update you as best as we can. For now, the resources on the Wiki above and the links below will give you a good continuing overview.
OpenStreetMap Ushahidi map in Japanese
Radiation Crowdmap in Russian
CrisisCommons
Google Person Finder
Ushahidi Blog
US Geological Survey
Tsunami warnings/advisories from the Japan Meteorological Agency
Tsunami Warning Center bulletin
Tracking Facebook Status Updates
Twitter tags to follow: #earthquake #japan #tsunami #EQJP #japanearthquake #JPQuake #japaneq #japantsunami #ynwa #eqjp #jquake
Nadia Hasham
Director of Crisis Mapping