Idaho State University Japanese Club establishes relief fund to raise money for earthquake victims

The Idaho State University Japanese Club has established a relief fund to raise money to help victims of the March 11 earthquake in Japan.

"The Japanese people are very resilient, but they need our help. We know times are tough, but please give what you can," said Sachiko Fukuoka, ISU Japanese Club advisor and instructor of Japanese. 

"We hope to raise $10,000 for the relief fund," continued Fukuoka, "or about a dollar for each person who at a minimum will probably have perished as a result of the earthquake."

The devastating earthquake that hit eastern Japan, with an epicenter east of Sendai on the main Japanese Island of Honshu, had a magnitude of 8.9 and is the fifth largest earthquake in recorded history.

If destruction by ground shaking wasn't enough, the sub-sea earthquake spawned a tsunami that sent waves greater than 30 feet high racing more than six miles inland that devastated coastal cities and towns. The tsunamis also compromised several nuclear reactors near Fukushima, resulting in the evacuation of more than 200,000 people.  Aftershocks that could do additional damage will continue for months.

At most people had about a 60 seconds warning and the death toll will probably number in tens of thousands.  Whole towns have disappeared beneath the tsunami along with houses and people.  It is still winter in Japan and people still need to be rescued and provided with shelter and food.

To contribute, send a check ­– all donors will receive a receipt – to ISU Japanese Club Quake Relief Fund Department of Languages and Literatures, Idaho State University, 921 South 8th Ave., Mail Stop 8067, Pocatello, ID, 83209. 

For more information, contact Fukuoka at 208-244-2926, or Gustav F. Winterfeld, ISU Japanese Club Treasurer, at 208-244-1161.

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