follow up unsent on blog up unread

The best way to keep up do date on my posts about Fukushima is via this link.
Part1 original email
Part2 (this post) follow up 1
Part3 follow up 2
I am going to keep updating  my blog with general information for people that want to keep up.
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This is a follow-up to an email [below and here. read first?] I sent that included a call for people to make donations in support of the survivors of the first 2011 Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster (in case there should be another). This got sent on to others [below], and I suddenly felt a bit of concern over what I had written. I never actually sent the follow-up, since my position didn't end up changing very much, and in order not to complicate matters, but I decided to post it here to save my effort for future reference.

I should add that I have no special interest in this, but one thing led to another... 

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Dear Friends:

I am feeling a sudden sense of responsibility for the way I encouraged people to give, since it turns out the earmark/don't earmark debate over this is more fervent than I expected, and I know some people have passed my letter on to others, for which I am glad, but chastened. In my letter I didn't fully elaborate on the line of reasoning I used, or make clear all the considerations I had put into it.  Specifically in my email I wrote that unfortunately sometimes "funds end up in [donees] general funds not specifically to relief efforts in Japan", which was hastily written and sounds like I am only advocating earmarked donations, only in Japan. My concern was with organizations misleadingly using Japan to solicit funds for other purposes, not with organizations also being able to meet other needs according to their professional assessment or helping outside japan.

Furthermore, I said, "one charity watch organization suggests there is a possibility of "overfunding", but they are entirely mistaken about that. " [the organization was Givewell, but since then the same argument was forwarded on by Felix Salmon of reuters, from which it "went viral" (gag...sputter...cough...ack) and then got picked up, naturally, by F** news (puke) and others. Salmon got pilloried because, while his position was more nuanced, his headline read "Don't Give". Givewell has since modified their stance, and now recommends unearmarked giving, such as to MSF ] 

Givewell's original case relied on the premise that since Japan wasn't asking for that much help, they didn't need it. This is what I thought was entirely mistaken, as I mentioned in my original email.

Here is another well stated "overfunding", from slate:

"There is a chance that Japan simply won't need all the cash donated to its recovery. Japanese businesses and families tend to be well-insured. The Japanese government is perhaps the best in the world when it comes to disaster management, given the country's frequent temblors and the experience of the Kobe earthquake. And the country has extraordinary financial resources. That means Japan probably does not need billions for rebuilding or humanitarian causes, at least not as much as Pakistan or Haiti or Indonesia did in the wake of their earthquakes. But if donors specify that their money be used in Japan, humanitarian groups will have no choice but to spend it there—even if people in, say, Pakistan or Haiti or Indonesia might need it more."

http://www.slate.com/id/2288243/

Or succinctly, Larry Probus, CFO of the Catholic charity "World Vision U.S".:"Mr. Salmon and I do agree that designated donations can leave some NGOs unable to address the "less visible emergencies,"" 

I agree the concern for earmarked overfunding is worth thinking about, but I can't also get the feeling that this may be a bit of a rationalization. For one, most organizations know how to spend excess funds wisely. Secondly, the need in Japan is unlikely to go away for some time. In fact, this is likely to be the most expensive accident ever, at a time when the economic outlook is still rather bleak. 

• The World Bank has estimated that recovery could cost $235 billion over a five-year period – nearly twice the estimate of $122 billion previously released by the government. Another oft quoted estimate is $180 billion which is given as 3 percent of its annual economic output, or more than 50 percent higher than the total cost of 1995's earthquake in Kobe.  The cost of Katrina has been assessed at $150 billion.

• Risk modelling agency AIR Worldwide said the quake could cause an insured loss [not overall] of between $14.6 billion and $34.6 billion even before losses from a related tsunami are included.

• This could make the earthquake the second-costliest natural disaster for insurers [not the overall cost] since Hurricane Katrina, which cost insurers $71 billion.

So, for the present, I do stand by my suggestions [which is why I didn't send the follow-up email], but  I am open to any observations other have about the situation, and reiterate to please do your research, give to an organization that fits your preferences. That is why I specifically did not limit to one kind of organization, but tried to cover a range of  possibilities. It is not my intention to proselytize for one side of the other. In the course of letting people back home know that I was OK, I was often asked how to help, and as I strongly feel the need here is great, I tried to give the most thoughtful answer I could.

One organization often mentioned by the don't designate side is MSF (Doctors Without Borders), a favorite organization I originally included in my list, but elided to simplify what had already gotten out of hand. 

Here are some other links that might clarify or edify. 

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/the-debating-chamber/the-debating-chamber-world-vision-us-cfo-responds-to-felix-salmon/

http://blog.givewell.org/2011/03/15/update-on-how-to-help-japan-funding-is-not-needed-we-recommend-giving-to-doctors-without-borders-to-promote-better-disaster-relief-in-general/

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/03/20/revisiting-my-japan-post/

more below the break....

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From: Michelle To: david 

Subject: Re: regards from japan David!!!
SO glad to hear from you.  I knew that Kyoto was in good shape, but as everything seemed uncertain, didn't want to assume without knowing.  Thank you for the very useful list of links -- I've sent the list out to all my contacts and posted on Facebook, etc, in the hopes that may help.  AND thank you for the info about the behind-the-scenes insight, which people in the States have an inkling that they are missing.
..

Let me know if you have any more info you think may be useful to post here in the U.S. -- I'm trying to utilize some of my massive network to get word out and hopefully make some small difference for our friends overseas.  Aomori is Maine's sister state, so I've been focusing on that, and trying to raise awareness.  They put together an earthquake-focused Facebook page, so I've been pointing people there: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maine-Japan-Earthquake-Relief-Effort/110509232363317
...
Love,
Michelle

On Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 11:31 PM, david crespo <asllearner@yahoo.fr> wrote:

Jeff (and everyone else getting this):
Thanks for emailing me. In fact I apologize for not having been in touch with
you and with others to let everyone know I am alright. I have been planning to
write long email to as many people as I could, but your email has finally made
me say to heck with it, I will just email my whole address book...well no cant
quite do that...but anyway apologies for the long mass email:
Basically what I need to say is that we are completely fine, but things are bad
elsewhere. We are actually quite far from where all the trouble is. Of course
everyone, including here in Kyoto, is worried about what is happening, and in
fact some people are quite sick about it, but as far as daily life is concerned,
everything is normal.
On the other hand, for people in Tohoku, in the shelters, things are terrible.
Because attention is focused on the reactor, people are not as aware of how
difficult it is for them, and we are encouraging people to donate to relief
organizations if they can. I've hear about fundraising that people are doing in
the US, and it is wonderful. I have done quite a bit of research, and at the
bottom of this email is a list of links of the best organizations we feel are
safe and good to give to; if you decide to give to another organization, I
strongly recommend doing your research because many organizations are
soliciting, but the funds end up in their general funds not specifically to
relief efforts in Japan, and there are even fake organizations popping up. Also,
though I think this is wrong under the circumstances, one charity watch
organization suggests there is a possibility of "overfunding", but they are
entirely mistaken about that. They are being misled by a cultural difference,
because Japanese people are perhaps stoic and reserved by nature, they will do
all they can to give the appearance to the outside world of not needing help.
But I am watching the news from inside and yukie is translating it, and what's
really happening is that as prepared as they were, the need is overwhelming.
Even the head of preparedness in Japan has admitted so. In the worst areas, the
shortage of food, medical supplies, and so on is staggering...one shelter can
only give out half a rice ball and a quarter of an apple per day! And there are
too many kids who have lost family, who are searching for family members, and
have no one to take care of them. It is heartbreaking. I can't put into words
how heart wrenching it is watching the news. Last night one man talk about
losing his wife and his first grade son. He has been left with nothing, not
even  a small memento. I can't imagine trying to carry on. And it goes on and
on, he is just one of hundreds of thousands. I really hope people can give,
because the scale of this disaster is unprecedented, and will undoubtedly be the
most expensive on record, and it will be years before some places get even close
to returning to "normal", if ever.
OK, I've ranted enough. I apologize.
For people like us, outside that area, things are relatively the same. Yukie's
family is in Niigata, which is further north, and has endured a few aftershocks,
but they were mild and everyone is alright. Yukie's sister is in Tochigi, which
is a little north of Tokyo, but from what Yukie tells me there have been some
small inconveniences, but she seems to have worked them out. She was supposed to
move back to Niigata this week, for example, but because of the gas shortage she
couldn't find a moving company. Her dad is coming to the rescue. We knew a few
people who are/were in Tokyo at the time, and they said the earthquake and the
aftershocks are scary, even by japanese standards, and there was a bit of
hoarding (but no looting, folks. c'mon), but on the whole it is manageable. The
trains are running again, for example. The sense of panic there has abated. I
think all the fuss about shipping people home that was made by some governments
was a matter of people trying to err on the overcautious side, and not a
reaction to the situation as it is in Tokyo. As my friend Etsuko, who lives in
the US but is japanese and watches Japanese media, says, the truth is somewhere
in between.
Right now, in the affected areas, things are much worse. The search efforts are
being hampered by weather and other factors. For the thousands of people waiting
it out in the shelters with nothing to do, it appears that some of the shock is
wearing off, so now the real emotional impact is starting to be felt. Depression
is becoming a problem. This is very frustrating for me, because I think in the
end, this is the worst damage that this event will have inflicted. You can give
all the money in the world, you can give blankets, send people, you can have all
the medicine you need, and these ills will fade, but the need for healing is the
one thing they have most, is the hardest to take care of, and will remain, I
fear, the longest.
Anyhow, my best wishes and thanks to everyone for their concern, and I look
forward to talking with people soon. Please feel free to respond if you wish to.
Sincerely,
David and Yukie
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Aid Organizations...a focus on small local organization, and some larger, more
global ones.
One of the organization that we like is
Kyoto Nicco
We like it because it is based in Kyoto, but has experience all over the world,
and it provides direct relief.
http://www.kyoto-nicco.org/english/project/support/information/relief-activity-for-earthquake-1.html

http://www.kyoto-nicco.org/english/index.html
Japan Center for International Exchange
http://jcie.org/earthquake.html
This is an umbrella organization that uses half of it donations for direct
relief, and half for long term development (which is often overlooked after a
tragedy). I came across this organization after discovering it was supporting
the same organizations that I was considering, such as NICCO. This is good if
you are not sure of what kind of organization you like. The organizations they
support are:
    * Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR, Japan)—focus on people with
disabilities. Worldwide, but based in Tokyo.
    * Association of Medical Doctors in Asia—medical needs. They seem very
active and have many teams.
    * Japan Platform— well connected and directly involved coalition of NGOs,
corporations, and government.
    * JEN—Good organization but not working in Japan at the moment.
    * Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO)—see
above. mobile clinics and portable toilets and distributing hygienic goods.
    * PeaceWinds Japan—see below. free access to satellite phones and
distributing food, water, blankets, and medical supplies.
PeaceWinds Japan
This is another local organization that provides direct assistance and has a
good track record.
http://www.peace-winds.org/en/
Japanese Red Cross.
It is possible to give directly to them, without needed to go through the US
organization, via this page for example:
http://www.google.co.jp/intl/en/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
Save the Children
is focused on children and providing direct assistance, but I havent been able
to find out if donations can be earmarked for japan or not. However they have a
very clear long term plan for dealing with this disaster:
http://www.savethechildren.org/atf/cf/%7B9DEF2EBE-10AE-432C-9BD0-DF91D2EBA74A%7D/save-the-children-japan-earthquake-brief-20110317.pdf

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=8rKLIXMGIpI4E&b=6478615&ct=9183299&msource=wessnmis1010

Direct Relief
This organization focuses on health issues, all funding goes to japan, and the
organization is highly rated in terms of efficiency.
http://www.directrelief.org/EmergencyResponse/2011/JapanEarthquakeTsunami.aspx

Japan Society:
Japanese cultural society (for "the cultivation of a constructive, resonant and
dynamic relationship between the people of the U.S. and Japan.") that has
experience working on relief efforts. It is absorbing the cost of passing all
donations directly to relief organizations. They run a cultural center in NY.
http://www.japansociety.org/tohoku_earthquake_response
http://www.japansociety.org/frequently_asked_questions