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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) have released their 12th situation report on the rescue/recovery operations (dated March 23rd) in the aftermath of the 9.0 Tohoku earthquake a week ago last Friday.
While much of the world’s attention has been diverted from the rescue and recovery operations and focused on the concurrent nuclear crisis at Fukushima, Japan is undergoing their worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.
Whatever the end result of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, it will pale in comparison to the the loss of life, emotional trauma, and property destruction experienced in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
A brief excerpt from the situation overview, but follow the link to read the entire report.
Emergency relief operations in Japan’s earthquake and tsunami affected Tohoku Region are ongoing but there is now mounting concern about increasing radioactive contamination of some vegetables, water and milk in the disaster affected areas. In Tokyo, authorities have also detected radioactive iodine in tap water that exceeds the level considered safe for infants.
The Government of Japan has not yet released an estimate of the total number of people who have been affected by the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, the country’s worst humanitarian disaster since the Second World War. More than
24,000 people are feared to be dead or missing.
There are 9,408 confirmed deaths to date and 14,716 people remain missing. More and more evacuees are relocating to unaffected prefectures. To date, nearly 30,000 evacuees, about 13 percent,
have already relocated to 437 municipalities in 43 prefectures.
The number of people in evacuation centres in and outside the affected areas has dropped to 261,000. This is nearly 57,000 less than yesterday. This includes the 83,778 people evacuated from
the 20 kilometre zone around the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Initially this number was reported to be 210,000. The Fukushima Prefecture reports that 23,000 of its evacuees are now taking refuge in non-effected prefectures. It’s estimated that there are 177,222 earthquake and disaster affected people living in the evacuation centres.
It’s unknown how many people are in need of
assistance that are not living in the evacuation centres.
Japan: Earthquake & Tsunami - Situation Report No. 12
Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Date: 23 Mar 2011
Full_Report (pdf* format - 283.9 Kbytes)
This report is produced by OCHA. It was issued by the Regional Office in Asia Pacific with input from the UNDAC team in Tokyo. It covers the period from 22-23 March. The next report will be issued on the 25 March.
I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
- More aftershocks and freezing temperatures continue in affected areas
- Only half a million people now without electricity, but 2.1 million without water
- Radiation contamination found in tap water in Japan at levels not safe for infants
- Government of Japan bans the sale of 11 vegetables after radiation contamination found near Nuclear Power Plant
- UNDAC officially ends mission in Japan and hands over to OCHA
