U.S. Embassy in Tokyo - Fact Sheet on the Current Situation - March 13, 2011

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Press Release

<!-- begin position 1 -->Fact Sheet on the Current Situation

March 13, 2011
In the interest of providing American citizens and other members of the public with the ?facts on the ground? in the ongoing disaster and the relief assistance efforts, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has created the following Fact Sheet ? which is a snapshot of the current situation. We will update this information as the facts change and as we continue our coordination with the Government of Japan.

Consular Information

There are approximately 160,000 American citizens in Japan.
We are not aware of any confirmed reports of American casualties in Japan.
The State Department has received numerous inquiries on the welfare and whereabouts of specific U.S. citizens in Japan. The Embassy and the State Department are working around the clock to determine the whereabouts and well-being of these U.S. citizens.

The best information we have is that there are approximately 1,300 American citizens in the Japanese prefectures that were most affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

The Embassy is working to send consular officers to these affected prefectures today (March 13) to assist American citizens in those areas. At this time, we do not have information on how many of these American citizens may have left the area.

U.S. citizens in need of emergency consular assistance should send an e-mail to JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov with detailed information about their location and contact information. We also recommend U.S. citizens in Japan make contact with loved ones in the United States.

Please continue to monitor the Embassy's website for updated information, the U.S. Department of State?s website at http://travel.state.gov, and the Ambassador?s Twitter account: www.twitter.com/AmbassadorRoos.

Military Assistance

The USS Ronald Reagan has arrived in the coastal region of the affected area and has already begun assisting in search-and-rescue efforts.

Helicopters from the USS Ronald Reagan have done 20 missions to and from Japanese ships, and delivered food and supplies to three different towns.

USFJ will shortly begin commencing a search-and-rescue mission to Takada City in Iwate Prefecture in order to assist 640 persons who require evacuation. Eight H-60 helicopters from Atsugi will take part.

Three H-60 helicopters at Yokota AB are standing by for mission assignment.

Additional U.S. military forces are flowing into Marine Corps Base Iwakuni.

USAID Assistance

The USAID Disaster Assistance and Response Team has arrived in Japan and is working to coordinate the overall U.S. response effort with the U.S.

Embassy. Additional DART members are expected, including experts from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to advise the DART team on nuclear issues as necessary. These additional members are expected to be on the ground in Japan by the late evening of March 13.

Urban Search and Rescue teams from Fairfax County and Los Angeles County have arrived at Misawa AB. The teams are comprised of approximately 150 personnel and 12 canines trained to detect live victims.
One cargo flight transporting life-saving search and rescue equipment arrived at Misawa AB on the morning of March 13. An additional cargo flight is expected to arrive the evening of March 13.

Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

U.S. experts have been in close consultation with Japanese experts regarding the evolving situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
We are encouraging U.S. citizens to heed the instructions of the Japanese civil defense authorities.

Japan?s Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency has recommended that people who live within 20 kilometers of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Okumacho evacuate the area immediately. No other evacuations have been recommended.

We will provide further updates on this situation as they become available.

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20110313-72.html

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Re: U.S. Embassy in Tokyo - Fact Sheet on the Current Situation - March 13, 2011

USAID Fact Sheet

<!-- begin position 1 -->Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

March 13, 2011

Key Developments

• As of 1100 hours Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on March 13, or 0000 hours Japan Standard Time (JST) on March 14, the Government of Japan (GoJ) National Police Agency (NPA) reported that the earthquake and tsunami resulted in 1,597 deaths, 1,481 missing persons, and 1,923 injured people. In addition, the earthquake damaged or destroyed nearly 37,700 buildings throughout northeastern Japan. International media sources have reported that the earthquake and tsunami death toll estimates range from 800 to 2,000 individuals, with more than 10,000 individuals missing. According to the NPA, nearly 96 percent of deaths have occurred in the northeastern coastal prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. The U.N. reported that the extent of damage along the coast indicates that the death toll may increase significantly in the coming days.
• On March 12, an explosion occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi (Fukushima 1) nuclear power plant, located approximately 150 miles north of Tokyo. Japanese authorities reported that the primary containment vessel at the reactor remains intact despite the explosion, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The GoJ will continue to closely monitor the situation, as the building housing an additional reactor at the same site remains at risk. An estimated 200,000 people have been evacuated from the areas around the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini (Fukushima 2) nuclear plants, according to the IAEA.
• On March 11, U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos declared a disaster due to the effects of the earthquake and tsunami. In response, USAID activated a Response Management Team (RMT) in Washington, D.C., and deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Japan to coordinate U.S. Government (USG) response efforts in Japan. On March 13, the two urban search and rescue (USAR) teams arrived in Japan as part of the DART.
• On March 11, USAID/OFDA provided $100,000 through the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to assist with local relief efforts. In addition, USAID/OFDA has provided more than $640,000 to support USAID/DART response activities in Japan.
• According to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Forces-Japan (USFJ) began coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to support the GoJ response. DoD is also permitting the GoJ to use Misawa and Yokota airbases for aircraft carrying humanitarian personnel and supplies. To date, the DoD aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan has conducted six maritime search and rescue missions and 20 helicopter missions to deliver supplies to ships at sea and three towns near Sendai.

Numbers at a Glance
Confirmed Deaths: 1,597 (GoJ NPA[1])
Missing Persons: 1,481 (GoJ NPA1)

FY 2011 Humanitarian Funding Provided to Japan to Date
USAID/OFDA Assistance for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: $740,600
Total USAID Humanitarian Assistance for the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: $740,600


Context

• On March 11 at 0046 hours EST, or 1446 hours local time, a magnitude 8.9 earthquake occurred near the east coast of Honshu?the largest and main island of Japan?at a depth of approximately 15 miles. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter of the earthquake was located 80 miles east of Sendai, the capital of Miyagi Prefecture, and 231 miles northeast of Tokyo. The earthquake also generated a large tsunami that resulted in additional fatalities and damage.
• InterAction, an alliance of U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, maintains a listing of organizations accepting donations for the Japanese earthquake response. The American Red Cross (ARC) announced capacity to receive donations through individual texts containing the message ?redcross? sent to 90999.

Infrastructure and Public Services

• According to the GoJ NPA, the earthquake has damaged an estimated 580 roads, 30 bridges, and 7 railways throughout the country. The GoJ NPA also reported more than 65 landslides throughout the country. Main highways in the most-affected areas of northeastern Japan remain closed, according to international media sources.
• On March 13, Ambassador of Japan to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki reported that approximately 2.5 million households?or four percent of Japan?s total population?were without electricity.
• As of March 13, a fire at the Cosmo Oil Company refinery in Ichihara city, located 25 miles east of Tokyo, remains ablaze despite firefighters? attempts to extinguish the flames since March 11.
• As of March 13, more than 2,050 GoJ-established emergency evacuation centers throughout Japan continue to shelter approximately 380,000 people, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Urban Search and Rescue Teams

• As of March 13, the GoJ had increased the number of Japanese defense forces assisting in USAR operations to an estimated 50,000 personnel, including in Miyagi Prefecture, where as many as 10,000 people remain missing, according to international media sources. To date, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan reported that more than 3,000 people have been rescued from collapsed homes or high flood waters.
• At approximately 0130 EST on March 13, two USAR teams from Fairfax and Los Angeles counties arrived at Misawa Air Force Base (AFB) in the northern part of Japan?s Honshu Island with emergency medical and water rescue capacities. The teams?composed of 144 personnel and 12 canines trained to detect live victims?will begin search and rescue activities in affected areas on March 14.
• As of March 13, ten countries?including China, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand?had deployed USAR teams to Japan to assist in search and rescue efforts in the coming days.

Public Donation Information

• The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for earthquake and tsunami response efforts in Japan can be found at www.interaction.org.
• USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space, etc.); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance.

More information can be found at:

• USAID: www.usaid.gov
• The Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org or (703) 276-1914
• Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at www.reliefweb.int

USAID/OFDA bulletins appear on the USAID website.
[1] Figures remain preliminary and are expected to change.

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20110314-74.html