Helping Japan

As you all heard, Japan had a huge 9.0 earthquake (they raised the magnitude). As you

can see from the pictures above, it's not like there were only a few hundred deaths. In fact,

thousands (and they're saying even more than that) are dead or lost. To me this is very

sad. Families got separated, homes are destroyed, and nuclear power plants are leaking.

It's like, what else can go wrong??! On top of that, there was a tsunami. This part really

scared me.

I have family down in Hawaii, where the tsunami was going through before hitting the

coast of California. I seriously thought they were all going to die so I called each and

every one of them and to call me if anything were to go wrong. I was on the phone with

them all day Friday and Saturday. Turns out, there wasn't much damage. I was so

relieved.

But I heard on the news that Japan is receiving dozens of aftershocks that get up to 7

in magnitude. They're saying these aftershocks can go on for years, which worries me

because what if another tsunami happens? So far they have had over 154 aftershocks

magnitude 5 and over, 27 magnitude 6 or higher. But it takes around a magnitude 7 to

generate another tsunami, which is bound to happen.

So! As the title says, I stopped by Walgreensto get my brother something and I

saw a "Help Japan" donation box at the checkout. I thought about all the people

there suffering and this was the perfect opporitunity to help them. So I opened up

my  purse and glanced at the $45 I earned from babysitting for two months and

dropped it in the donation box. This was the best $45 I'd spent in my entire life. I

had the satisfaction of helping hundreds of people, and that really got me thinking.

Things that make you feel like you're the luckiest person on the planet, can be taken

away in an instant. In Japan's case, everyone lost everything. I realize how important

this donation is to me and the people or person receiving it to get food, water, and

shelter.

I strongly encourage you to donate to Japan. You don't even have to donate a lot.

Trust me, it will make a difference in someone's life there. And it feels good

knowing that that person is getting something out of the $45 I sent them. It would

be better, though, to see the smile on their face.