After Japan Earthquake, Groups Question Nuclear Power

World Vision, Baptist Global Response (BGR), Operation Blessing, and other disaster relief organizations are on the ground in Japan, but are having trouble responding to the scope of the crisis.

Pat Melancon, BGR's disaster management specialist, said most disasters have problems that experts can anticipate.

"The Japan event, however, is different," said Melancon. "Here we have three catastrophic events: the earthquake, which did much damage in areas not being featured in the news; the tsunami, which hit the low coastal areas of Japan especially hard; and now an additional unfolding event—the demise of nuclear power plants."

World Vision is also in Japan, where it is focusing its efforts on helping children. It is setting up Child-Friendly Spaces where children can play and work on art and music projects. But, like BGR, it is finding the scope of the task challenging. Hundreds of thousands are displaced, leaving some children to sleep on cardboard pallets with only one blanket to keep them warm, according to World Vision.

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