How are People in Japan Receiving News?

[bean29]

I can't help but wonder how are people in Japan receiving news. Every electronic device we have that we could receive news on has a charger that requires electricity to charge it up or it requires electricity. Cell Phone, Cordless Phone, Computer, TV, IPod etc, etc.

If you are so lucky as to have a generator, you will need gasoline to power it, to my understanding gasoline is hard to get too.

Someone had a thread about being prepared for an emergency. Do you have one of those crank handle radios? maybe we should get one.

[Deleted]

I was thinking battery operated radios. We have one and a store of batteries.

[chiver78]

what I saw on the news this morning is that a lot of them aren't receiving news. one woman, interviewed at a shelter, said that they are only being told not to go outside since it's close to the nuclear site.

[Artemis Windsong]

The batteries on the cell phones, etc. are running down and cannot be recharged as no electricity.

I am surprised at how many people I know with connections to Japan.

Vent: I didn't see anyone screaming at the news media about the food they were getting like the Katrina vics gripping about a nice turkey sandwich not being McD's. At least, not yet.

Where are the refugees going to go?

[Gardening Grandma]

Where are the refugees going to go?

We have friends in Sendai. Their home was destroyed. They are staying at a community center. Another friend had gone to Sendai for a dr apt (they have a huge medical center there). She was in the hospital when the tsunami hit, but was in a safe area. She was sent to a local elementary school, told they were full and sent to a jr hi where she spent the night. She was given one blanket to share with another woman. She was also given one cold rice ball to eat. They slept on concrete floors. She was unable to get home because the trains weren't running. ("Home" was about 1 1/2 hours north by train). She was finally able to reach her husband who drove down and retrieved her.

Parts of Japan were relatively unaffected by the disaster. The northeast coast was the part that the tsunami hit. Japan prepares very well for earthquakes and without that preparation, the death toll would very likely have been much higher. This earthquake was five times worse than the one that devastated Haiti.

I'm still trying to get news of another of my mother's friends who lives in Sendai. Nothing yet.

[Timberwolf]

GG, do you know how your friends whose house was destroyed were able to get the word out about their situation?

[cronewitch]

They have a good red cross that is set up and stocked. They are being supported by our red cross donations.

The entire country isn't down just the quake areas and tsunami areas and fallout areas. Put of 3100 McDonald's only 300 are closed. McDonalds is giving 2 million in relief donations, or military is helping. Perhaps they are mostly using word of mouth to get news and conserving batteries only posting brief facebook updates for families.

[cronewitch]

They have a good red cross that is set up and stocked. They are being supported by our red cross donations.

The entire country isn't down just the quake areas and tsunami areas and fallout areas. Put of 3100 McDonald's only 300 are closed. McDonalds is giving 2 million in relief donations, our military is helping. Perhaps they are mostly using word of mouth to get news and conserving batteries only posting brief facebook updates for families.

[Deleted]

Mar 15, 2011 14:17:39 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

Vent: I didn't see anyone screaming at the news media about the food they were getting like the Katrina vics gripping about a nice turkey sandwich not being McD's. At least, not yet.

Where are the refugees going to go?

You only saw people screaming at the news media about the "quality" of the food because the news media decides what slant they want for their story.

I left for the actual storm (Katrina) but came back 2 days later to a destroyed home. Some people don't realize that New Orleans wasn't the only place devastated by Katrina! There wasn't a lot of complaining where I was and the meals were just fine.

[Gardening Grandma]

Mar 15, 2011 14:44:53 GMT -5 Timberwolf said:

GG, do you know how your friends whose house was destroyed were able to get the word out about their situation?

Well, there were a few anxious days. They have a dau in Vancouver attending college and she was frantic with worry (their home is not far from the beach). She received a text message from her younger sister (who is with her parents) saying they were OK. She forwarded the news via email to the rest of friends and family who were awaiting word.

As far as how they were able to get a text out, it would not surprise me if working phones were shared so that folks could get word out. The Japanese are like that.

Also, Google has a person finder for this purpose. I input their names there with information as I got it.

[Timberwolf]

Mar 15, 2011 14:54:53 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

Mar 15, 2011 14:44:53 GMT -5 Timberwolf said:

GG, do you know how your friends whose house was destroyed were able to get the word out about their situation?

Well, there were a few anxious days. They have a dau in Vancouver attending college and she was frantic with worry (their home is not far from the beach). She received a text message from her younger sister (who is with her parents) saying they were OK. She forwarded the news via email to the rest of friends and family who were awaiting word.

As far as how they were able to get a text out, it would not surprise me if working phones were shared so that folks could get word out. The Japanese are like that.

Also, Google has a person finder for this purpose. I input their names there with information as I got it.

[Timberwolf]

Oops, I guess I haven't mastered the quote thing yet . Thanks for the information about the Google person finder, I'll have to check that out!

[cytoglycerine]

Mar 15, 2011 14:17:39 GMT -5 Artemis Windsong said:

I didn't see anyone screaming at the news media about the food they were getting like the Katrina vics gripping about a nice turkey sandwich not being McD's.

OMG did that really happen - or are you just exaggerating? Just the thought of someone making a stink about such a trivial thing during such a horrific tragedy makes me want to break things

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

We have a hand-crank radio, several battery-operated ones, and a passle o' batteries.

[bean29]

Thanks for the info, That Google Person Finder sounds really useful.

I couldn't help but think that if you were quarantined to your house because of radiation you would want to know exactly what was going on. You also would probably want to be able to contact friends and relatives. Hence my thoughts about communication.

We have gotten rid of most of our radios that run on batteries. They are so big and bulky, but you only think about other reasons to keep them when a disaster like this strikes.

They also have hand crank flashlights. I have some of the LED flashlights they have a pretty long life.

[cronewitch]

Car radios will work until the battery is dead or you run out of gas.

[Deleted]

Mar 15, 2011 15:04:15 GMT -5 @cytoglycerine said:

OMG did that really happen - or are you just exaggerating? Just the thought of someone making a stink about such a trivial thing during such a horrific tragedy makes me want to break things

Yes....that did happen during Katrina. My family and I were "victims" (meaning our house was nicely damaged due to a large tree in the middle of it - not necessarily a victim in the "woe is me" sense) of Katrina also. We just don't live in New Orleans. However, as I said in Post #8, the media showed what they wanted to show; which was people complaining about the food, looting, and the general bad stuff that was happening. It doesn't really serve the media's purpose to show people helping other people. We don't see want to see happy endings......we want a train wreck!

[whoisjohngalt]

I gotta say and I could be COMPLETELY wrong about it, but if any country/people are equipped to deal with something like this, it would be Japan. I "think" their sense of community and order and organization would help them quite a bit.

Lena