From:
JETAADC President
Mac Maloney
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Dear JETAADC Member,
As members of the Japanese Community, JETAADC is extremely saddened by the recent events in Japan, and our continued support and thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this tragedy. With lines of communication down throughout the affected regions, regaining contact with everyone will remain a difficult task for the coming days and possibly weeks.
Therefore, we will do our best to continue to update you on the situation, as we hear it from the Japanese Embassy, CLAIR, and JETAAUSA. We have listed below a brief synopsis of the actions of CLAIR, the Embassy of Japan and JETAAUSA, and have provided some links to potentially helpful sites. Additionally, we have attached a release from National AJET, which contains helpful information.
Many JETAADC members have already written pledging their support, and we as a board are beginning to decide on how best to do so. If you are moved to more immediate action, we recommend organizations, such as the International Red Cross or JETAANY Earthquake Relief Fund.
Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the other board members of JETAADC.
Regards,
Maurice Maloney President, JETAADC
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The Embassy of Japan has been working with CLAIR and the Government of Japan to communicate with parents about the safety and security of current JETs in the affected areas. As many of the lines of communication have been severed, the process will continue until all JETs are accounted for. If you are a parent or family member of a current JET and you have not received word from your relative in Japan, please do not hesitate to contact the JET Program Office at 202-236-6772/3 or via e-mail at jetprogram@ws.mofa.go.jp .
For those current American or Canadian JETs who are in Japan, please email CLAIR-NY at jet@jlgc.org to let them know your status, even if you’ve already responded to CLAIR Tokyo or another office. The NY office is handling communication with concerned families and would like to respond to their inquiries.
There is no “best way” to contact people, although many reports have come through Facebook and twitter. Google has instituted its person finder, but we cannot attest to its accuracy or effectiveness.
While there are a number of major news outlets covering the story, below are a few links that relate more specifically to the JET situation:
- CLAIR New York has established a list of American and Canadian JET Participants whose safety has been confirmed
- JETAAUSA is maintaining a blog on its website, and updating it as often as possible
- JETWIT has been collecting updates from JETs throughout Japan
- Twitter: #tsunami; #Japan; #NHK; @tokyoreporter is a journalist in Tokyo posting frequent and helpful updates for on-the-ground news information; #AmbassadorRoos (US Ambassador to Japan)
- NHK (as expected, Japanese news sources are a bit more specific to regions, and might be more helpful than US coverage)