Latest news with #disasterrelief
Japan Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
¥1.9 trillion over five years eyed for 2011 tsunami reconstruction
Japan adopted a new basic policy on Friday for reconstruction after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, expecting projects worth ¥1.9 trillion for the next five years from fiscal 2026. The amount tops ¥1.6 trillion for the five years through fiscal 2025, which ends in March. Under the basic policy, the government will tackle such issues as the final disposal of soil removed during radiation decontamination after the nuclear accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 power plant. The government will also promote the return of evacuees to their homes in areas affected by the radiation from the nuclear accident. "With a strong determination to resolve problems for reconstruction within the next five years, all the cabinet members will accelerate reconstruction efforts further, staying considerate to those in affected areas," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a meeting of the government's council for reconstruction from the disaster. The basic policy calls for studying the idea of allowing forest management and some other activities in areas where entry is heavily restricted due to the radiation from the nuclear accident. The government will also promote the use of soil collected during decontamination work in public works projects and continue to financially support disaster-affected municipalities with special grants. Of the ¥1.9 trillion projected for the next five years, ¥1.6 trillion will go to reconstruction efforts in Fukushima Prefecture, devastated by the Tepco accident on top of the quake and tsunami. The tsunami-hit prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi will each secure some ¥100 billion.
ABC News
15 hours ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Cundle Flat residents still isolated by flood damage.
A Mid North Coast community spent one month relying on chopper drops in the wake of May's devastating floods. Supplied: Pip Hamersley-Everett
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford rethinks philanthropy for better community reach and disaster response
Ford Motor Co. is taking its philanthropy to the next level with a new program that gives employees more paid time off to volunteer, has more involvement with its national dealership network and even loans its vehicles to those nonprofits in need. The Dearborn-based automaker announced the launch of Ford Building Together on June 17. Ford Building Together is a new program aimed at better unifying Ford corporate leaders, Ford employees, Ford dealerships and nonprofit groups when responding to a crisis. The idea is if they work closer together and share the same visions, making the response more effective. "We know if we brought the whole power of the organization together we can have a better impact," Mary Culler, president of Ford Philanthropy, told the Detroit Free Press. "The goal here is to think about disaster relief and community building. If everyone is moving in the same direction to support those in need and have the same goals, that will have a bigger impact.' To promote the new program, Ford called on actor Bryan Cranston, most famous for his role as a chemistry teacher turned meth maker in the 2008 hit show Breaking Bad. Cranston, who is big on philanthropy, also voices many of Ford's car commercials. He is also the voice of Ford Philanthorpy videos, Culler said. "Bryan is one of the most amazing philanthropic people I know," Culler said. "He approached us asking ... how could he help us amplify some of the work we've done after he'd done some work with us in Puerto Rico a few years ago." Culler said Ford Building Together will focus its efforts on four specific nonprofit organizations that it has worked with for many years: the American Red Cross, Feeding America (the largest network of food banks), Habitat for Humanity (a global nonprofit providing housing for the needy), and Team Rubicon, the veteran-led humanitarian organization that provides disaster relief and aid nationwide. By uniting Ford's entire organization, plus its dealers, with the nonprofits, it will help these nonprofits have more community reach, she said. 'Imagine when you have a disaster and you're trying to build resilience in a community and every dealer in the country did a blood drive?" Culler said. "What an impact that would have! So this is about networking.' Culler said Ford Building Together has already started on a small scale. In Texas, Ford dealers are currently collecting food to help Feeding America. In Minnesota, Ford dealers will be collecting tools and home materials to support Habitat for Humanity and in Colorado, some dealers are holding community disaster preparedness seminars. Besides calling on the dealership network, Ford has increased its Volunteer Paid Time Off policy from 16 hours to 56 hours to encourage Ford employees to lend their skills and expertise to the nonprofits, Culler said. 'Volunteering in this country is so needed," Culler said. "Our volunteering has gone up 56% this year alone because we have made it easier to volunteer and have added paid time off to do it. It's giving our Ford employees a sense of purpose, which is core to our DNA as a company.' The program will also include vehicle loans, Ford said, so that it can lend its technology and vehicles to strengthen the services of the nonprofits. More: Ford leaders sharpen their focus on how to beat the Chinese to lead in global markets Culler noted that earlier this year, Ford Philanthropy partnered with dealers to help aid in the California wildfires and it had a significant impact. When the fires broke out, she said, Ford's dealers across 13 western states called Ford Philanthropy asking how to donate goods and help the community in other ways. "We decided together to have a consolidated approach … in a coordinated effort," Culler said. "We decided to fund two organizations where we provided funding and the dealers matched the money.' The dealers joined together to donate funds to those impacted by the California Wildfires and together with Ford Philanthropy contributed $465,000 to local organizations. The money supported food distribution, housing for people displaced, clothing and more. More: LA wildfires could bring higher used vehicle prices for Detroit automakers, car buyers 'Ultimately the organizations will benefit from whether it's financially or the other resources we're bringing to the table such as expertise, the volunteers, and with Team Rubican, for example, a lot of people didn't know what it was and we helped lift them up and tell their story," Culler said. Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford rethinks its philanthropy for community reach, disaster response Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
As flash floods in West Virginia kill at least 8, Gov. Morrisey aims to rally residents during clean-up
It's been a challenging and heartbreaking few days for West Virginians since deadly flooding devastated many communities. The death toll continues to rise, search and rescue operations are still underway, and clean-up efforts are far from over. "I do have some somber news to report. We now can clearly state that eight people are confirmed dead in Ohio County," said Gov. Patrick Morrisey. The grim update from Gov. Morrisey came several days after flash flooding destroyed homes and washed away roads in the Wheeling-Ohio County area. A man was found dead Wednesday morning in the Ohio River, bringing the death toll to eight. "We can't take that back, but we can honor their memory by coming together and doing everything we can to help the remaining people that might be out there, and help rebuild in Ohio County," Morrisey said. Crews didn't know the man who was found Wednesday was missing. They found him while looking for a woman who's still missing. "We have at least one unaccounted for, but we don't know whether there will be others. We're going to continue to look. That's the top priority right now," the governor said. "We retrieved a person this morning, and we all knew that even though we had eight, there might be people who were never witnessed and were in the water," said Lou Vargo, the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency Director. As much as four inches of rain fell in the northern panhandle within just 40 minutes Saturday night. Marion County was also hit hard by flooding. Governor Morrisey said everyone there is alive and accounted for. He said he's been in touch with the White House for assistance and will send damage surveys to FEMA once they're all submitted by flood victims. He and Vargo urged residents impacted by the floods to submit those surveys. "I know President Trump cares deeply about West Virginia, he really does, and so I'm going to make my best argument to him as to why Ohio County and West Virginia, and Marion County, all these areas deserve the help to get our citizens back on the right track," Morrisey said. Despite the tragedy and the long road ahead, West Virginians are strong, and they'll rebuild together. "One thing that's true about West Virginians: We're never, never going to give up," Gov. Morrisey said. "We're going to come back from this stronger than ever, and we're going to work together." "Volunteers are stepping up in a way that we haven't seen before. Everyone is reaching out to help their brothers and sisters in need. The coordination on the ground has been excellent," he added.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
President Trump's plan to "wean off" FEMA doesn't resonate with some N.J. residents still recovering from hurricanes
President Trump said recently he wants to move toward getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA, and get states to take on responsibilities. But some disaster survivors in New Jersey and an organization that helps them are not in favor of the idea. "The FEMA thing hasn't been a very successful experiment" Mr. Trump said June 10 the plan is to "wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level, a little bit like education. We're moving it back to the states." The president said he wants that to start after hurricane season and for governors to lead the way. "Now, if they can't handle it, they shouldn't be governor. But these governors can handle it," Mr. Trump said. "The FEMA thing hasn't been a very successful experiment. [It's] very, very expensive and it doesn't get the job done." The president said once this all comes together, it will be good for the country. CBS News New York reached out to the local FEMA office, but it said it could not comment. We also tried to get comment from the national office, but have not heard back. Some N.J. residents sound off on Trump's FEMA stance Nearly four years after Hurricane Ida damaged her Milford home, Leanna Jones is still waiting for state help. "I still haven't gotten my money from the state to do the long-term recovery," Jones said. Jones said despite FEMA's imperfections, the agency was there for her right after disaster struck. "They did put $4,000 in my pocket right away, even before my insurance company came to do the first inspections," Jones said. That's why she says she's worried about what the president is saying about FEMA. "If everything is handed to the states, then people will be waiting for four years to get any money. That is just not okay," Jones said. Organizations helping Superstorm Sandy and Ida survivors also don't think it's a good idea. In recent recommendations to the FEMA Review Council, both the New Jersey Resource Project and New Jersey Organizing Project suggested more FEMA aid and less denial rates, adding, "None of our recommendations included dismantling FEMA. Rather, we have specific suggestions on how FEMA can be improved and provide continued benefit to impacted communities."
