**NOTE: this posting was sent in on March 22nd**

Hello Folks,

Donating to the aid and relief efforts, to help trained professionals address the situation, should be everyone's first priority, if you want to help.

But quite soon, there will be people, maybe especially people, who are interested in going up north and helping in these relief efforts themselves. Some of my students have already gone up and many others have contacted me about this.

The good side is that these young people, and many old people, are so connected and active, this will not be like Kobe in so many ways. I hope that many of you will volunteer and organize our students to do the same, in time. We should certainly have groups organized out of each university, faculty department, and many club or bukatsu groups. (Another post.)

But from what I have read, NOW is NOT the time yet to go up to volunteer.
Here are some guidelines that can be followed from the Tokyo Voluntary Action Center, in English with links to other languages. http://www.tvac.or.jp/di/20996.html

They write: DO NOT JUST GO UP TO THE DISASTER AREA YOURSELF.
"At the moment, professional, trained workers, organizations and local residents are working at the disaster sites. Transportation, safe locations, food, information and fuel are all scarce. At this stage, volunteers could cause further shortages and confusion by traveling to the site themselves." If you go or hear of you students going, please be sure as part of some organized and recognized group.

David Slater