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A growing number of researchers and volunteers have been trying to apply the lessons learned from past disasters and offer help to the disaster victims of the Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake and the recent 7.9 earthquake which leveled much of the Sichuan Province in China.

In early July, about two weeks after the Iwate-Miyagi Inland Earthquake, a nine-member team led by Prof. Yoshiteru Murosaki of Kwansei Gakuin University, who heads the Japan Society for Disaster Recovery and Revitalization, visited a shelter in the Koei district of Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture.

The U.S. Small Business Administration reminds homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profit organizations of the deadline to submit disaster loan applications for damage caused by the Queen Anne’s Gate Apartments fire that occurred on June 14, 2008. The deadline to file an application for physical damage is September 2, 2008.

FEMA has long struggled to rectify their issues regarding emergency shelters to disaster victims due in large part to unhealthy materials and shotty construction. Now, FEMA has devised an new approach as to how they will provide present and future disaster victims with suitable housing when needed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published the first draft of a policy for providing housing to victims displaced by large catastrophes in the Federal Register Thursday, calling for input on a post-Katrina strategy that has already drawn criticism from a Senate panel.

Even though the earthquake has destroyed Chinese cities, it hasn’t detered Chinese olympic athletes who are doubling their training efforts and dedicating the Beijing Olympics on behalf of the disaster victims.

Chen Shuxun, venue media director stated: “There is a Chinese saying: if you want to help people, do what you do best. Our athletes are best at performing so they are going to focus on that. And they are determined to do their very best for the quake victims.”

Of the 20 Chinese athletes in the Sinchuan Province during the earthquake, none were injured. The new Olympic facilities and National Stadium were undamaged as well.

On May 2nd & 3rd, Cyclone Nargis ripped through the Irrawaddy Delta and Yangon of a country slightly smaller than Texas. Myanmar (previously known as Burma) was ravaged not just by the cyclone, but a 12-foot high tsunami which caused a majority of the damage. The death toll has now reached 78,000 with 55,000 people still missing. Although the country opened its borders to accept disaster relief, the government has started limiting supplies, denying work Visas as well as other unacceptable tactics to maintain power. This will make recovery harder and cause more problems for a country that has little or nothing as it is.

On May 12th, an earthquake struck the Sichuan Province in China. It registered at 7.9 on the Richter Scale. It is one of the worst earthquakes on record to hit China. Aftershocks continued throughout much of the night following the earthquake. Winchuan County was the epicenter of the disaster. Entire buildings are nothing more than rubble, streets are covered with debris and the foul stench of death fills the air. Survivors are still trying to put the pieces together. The rescue efforts are tedious as more and more dead bodies are pulled from the devastation. As of now, the death toll has reached 34,000 with thousands still missing. The president of China, Hu Jintao has declared a state of emergency. He is accepting any disaster aid available and will conduct an investigation into the sub-standard construction of many buildings which shouldn’t have collapsed and caused numbers of preventable deaths, especially schools were thousands of children died. He will hold all those accountable.

A disaster exercise will be conducted on May 8th by The Centennial Chapter of the American Red Cross in coordination with the Poudre Fire Authority and members of the Colorado State University Drama Department.

The exercise will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Red Cross chapter at 120 Saturn Drive, Fort Collins. According to a release, the exercise will be designed to train red cross volunteers and to educate the public on the Red Cross’ role in disaster relief.

The exercise will involve the simulation of an apartment building on fire. Volunteers will provide the basics such as clothing, temporary housing, water and food to the “victims.”

On Wednesday April 30th in Benton Arkansas, a Disaster Recovery Center will open to help disaster victims affected by storms on April 3rd that produced three devastating tornadoes and severe flooding in Saline County.

The Disaster Recovery Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Holland Chapel Baptist Church Family Life Center located at 15523 Interstate 30. It will remain open through Tuesday, May 27th.

Disaster victims are being asked to register for assistance before visiting the Disaster Recovery Center online or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for those who are speech- or hearing-impaired. Phone lines are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Representatives from ADEM, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be available to answer questions and to provide recovery information during this time at the Disaster Recovery Center.

Officials will also be able to check the status of disaster applications, discuss the SBA’s low-interest loans for homeowners, renters and businesses, provide information about state agencies and voluntary organizations as well as provide information on how to reduce damage in the future.

Officials stated that absolutely no cash, checks, debit cards or vouchers are distributed at disaster recovery centers. These centers are solely for the distribution of information to assist the victims during their recovery.

People who had personal property destroyed by the storms should call Crawford’s office at 302-5622.

The Benton Community Development Department has a mobile permit office set up through Friday at the guard shack at Hurricane Lake Estates to eliminate trouble for homeowners in the demolition process.. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday and may be reached at 317-5304.

The Mohave County Emergency Management Department and the Golden Valley Fire Department will provide Community Emergency Response Team or disaster survival skills training starting in May.

CERT members learn about disaster preparedness, response and aid as well as receive training in basic disaster response such as fire safety, medical operations and search & rescue. This will allow them to provide immediate on-site assistance until emergency responders show up.

Classes will be held over the course of two weekends. The first class starts at 6 p.m. on May 2 and the second class starts at 9 a.m. on May 3. The second set of classes will be held at the same times on May 9th and 10th. Each class will be eight hours and the training is free.

All the classes will be held at:

Golden Valley Fire Station No. 2
749 South Egar Road
Golden Valley, AZ 86413

For more information, contact the Mohave County Emergency Management at 757-0930.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like for your child or children to experience a disaster and have to cope with the after-effects? If not, and you live in a high-risk area, then maybe you should start.

Many people don’t take into consideration how a disaster can affect a child. Remember, they are not mentally or emotionally equipped like adults on how to put things into perspective and deal with the situation. But, there is help.

Disaster Training International, is designed to help adults help children who are living with the threat, existence and aftermath of disasters or other traumatic events. We provide emergency preparedness training, assist with the mitigation of hazards at your center or school, help staff know how to respond to a tragedy to help children heal and how centers or schools can work in partnership with parents around the best interests of their children.

Like so many people in this country, they never know when a disaster might strike. And when it does, most people are not properly prepared to deal with it. Don’t you think it’s better to have the knowledge and never need it then not have it when you do need it?