It's been forever since I posted in this community (I don't know why, since I think it's a fantastic community!!!). I just went through the earthquake madness here in Japan and I can tell you never have I experienced anything as terrifying and humbling as that. And I was lucky, since I'm in Tokyo. No one in my family was hurt, but two of my friends in the north where the tsunami hit are still missing, and three of my students lost family members in the Miyagi area. Another student, whose house is in the town right next to the nuclear reactors has her family evacuated and they've lost everything. It's truly tragic and beyond anything I can properly put into words to express how I feel.
I'd like as a favor of everyone here. I've been working non-stop since last week putting together a website, Disaster Japan, which is focused on providing level-headed, practical, and easy to find information for people on the ground here in Japan (or relatives and friends of those who are here) who desperately want information on where to go, what to do, who to talk to, how to do things. While the Japanese are doing a fantastic job with what they have, and they are doing their best to include non-Japanese-speaking residents in all the information, the sheer massiveness of what has happened and the numbers of people involved make it impossible for them to provide enough good, timely information for the non-Japanese residents. Hence the site.
What we do is first, with the help of people around the world looking out on the internet and elsewhere for relevant information, collect information on a Facebook site. Then those links which are the most relevant and useful are picked up by a group working the backend of the website, posting it to the public. So far it's working quite well, getting more and more attention. Peter Barakan, the NHK News announcer, and arguably the most famous non-Japanese in Japan, has linked to the site, as has Daniel Kahl, a well-known comedian.
I've been meaning to update the sections in the site concerning survival outdoors and in situations where there is little access to modern conveniences, but have been so incredibly busy with trying to update the site and work out its interface and navigation and stuff, that I've simply not had the time.
What I'd like to ask is people could post ideas and techniques on survival in this thread. This is not bushcraft and the people who would read the site are for the most part just average people, so they might know little to nothing about living outdoors. But the principles behind bushcraft and survival I think are very very relevant, since many of these people have nothing and resources are very limited, so they are being forced to live as simply and frugally as possible. Right now the weather up in Tohoku is freezing, below 0ºC. It is snowing and there is almost no gas or electricity for heat or cooking. I was thinking things like how to make a simple wood-burning stove that doesn't need a lot of fuel (there is probably no white gas or canisters or alcohol around), how to make a shelter and keep warm, how to dress, etc. What I will do when the thread is comprehensive enough, is to copy the thread and post it to the site, plus link to this page for people to read ongoing suggestions.
Might people be able to help me out with this? Eventually I hope much of it can be translated to Japanese so that more people can benefit. Thanks!
I'd like as a favor of everyone here. I've been working non-stop since last week putting together a website, Disaster Japan, which is focused on providing level-headed, practical, and easy to find information for people on the ground here in Japan (or relatives and friends of those who are here) who desperately want information on where to go, what to do, who to talk to, how to do things. While the Japanese are doing a fantastic job with what they have, and they are doing their best to include non-Japanese-speaking residents in all the information, the sheer massiveness of what has happened and the numbers of people involved make it impossible for them to provide enough good, timely information for the non-Japanese residents. Hence the site.
What we do is first, with the help of people around the world looking out on the internet and elsewhere for relevant information, collect information on a Facebook site. Then those links which are the most relevant and useful are picked up by a group working the backend of the website, posting it to the public. So far it's working quite well, getting more and more attention. Peter Barakan, the NHK News announcer, and arguably the most famous non-Japanese in Japan, has linked to the site, as has Daniel Kahl, a well-known comedian.
I've been meaning to update the sections in the site concerning survival outdoors and in situations where there is little access to modern conveniences, but have been so incredibly busy with trying to update the site and work out its interface and navigation and stuff, that I've simply not had the time.
What I'd like to ask is people could post ideas and techniques on survival in this thread. This is not bushcraft and the people who would read the site are for the most part just average people, so they might know little to nothing about living outdoors. But the principles behind bushcraft and survival I think are very very relevant, since many of these people have nothing and resources are very limited, so they are being forced to live as simply and frugally as possible. Right now the weather up in Tohoku is freezing, below 0ºC. It is snowing and there is almost no gas or electricity for heat or cooking. I was thinking things like how to make a simple wood-burning stove that doesn't need a lot of fuel (there is probably no white gas or canisters or alcohol around), how to make a shelter and keep warm, how to dress, etc. What I will do when the thread is comprehensive enough, is to copy the thread and post it to the site, plus link to this page for people to read ongoing suggestions.
Might people be able to help me out with this? Eventually I hope much of it can be translated to Japanese so that more people can benefit. Thanks!
