OGATSU Town, Mayiga Prefecture, Japan–We felt the fringe effects of Typhoon Talis which crossed the island last night. It was windy all day, raining, and with my raincoat on…hot. (more…)

KENYA – Today we visited a Masai village where Operation Blessing is building a new school. This building will prevent the need for children to walk over two miles through tall grasses where they have sometimes been trampled by elephants and attacked by lions. (more…)

Juba, South Sudan — We are staying in a camp on the bank of the Nile River. The camp is run by a safari outfitting company that caters to relief organizations and nature enthusiasts. There is armed security and a series of tents and shipping containers set up like tiny apartments, with gravel walkways and banana trees providing shade. The camp serves two meals a day in a breezy, open dining area with a roof made of palm fronds, right on the mighty river’s edge. David and I are among the lucky ones who get to sleep in an air-conditioned 20′ container. It’s sweltering hot, and there are lots of mosquitoes at night, but we all have mosquito nets, safe water to drink and plenty to eat. (more…)

URATO ISLANDS, Japan – Shiogama is known as the tuna capital of Japan and the center of a huge fishing industry. There are tuna statues and art work depicting tuna everywhere. The oceanfront was decimated by the tsunami, but much of the wave’s velocity struck four islands just off shore. (more…)

VILLAGE OF OHIRA-MURA, Japan – About an hour ago it got dark, and just as I settled in to write this, the house started to shake. The bed rocked sideways back and forth for about ten seconds as unseen forces deep in the earth shuddered. It was an unsettling experience, and even though my mind told me it was just another aftershock, there was a stab of fear suggesting that it might be another big quake, and that I should be running for the door. Such is life in Japan.

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11:15 a.m.; Tuesday, March 15, 2011

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – This morning at around 3 a.m. our time, I received David’s last email before he lost signal. He said that he and Don were speeding north on a deserted expressway headed to Sendai in a van packed full of high-protein food items and bottled water. (more…)

8:20 a.m.; Monday, March 14, 2011

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – I just spoke with David Darg who arrived in Japan about 6 hours ago. There is 13-hour time difference in Japan, so it’s about 8 a.m. here in Virginia and 9 p.m. in Tokyo. (more…)

11 a.m.; Sunday, March 13, 2011

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Responding to Japan’s earthquake and tsunami disaster is especially challenging because we do not have infrastructure in Japan and have only limited local connections there. Anyone who watches TV can see that help is needed, but we don’t yet know exactly what kind of help to offer. Experience has taught us that the best way to find out what is really going on, and to learn how to help disaster victims most effectively, is to put our staff on the ground. (more…)

GRANDE SALINE, Haiti – At around 7 a.m., we loaded the box truck with a boat, motor, fuel, and about 50 gallons of chlorine solution, picked up scientists Stacy and Gretchen, and headed up the road toward St. Marc. (more…)

HAITI – We are leaving at 7 a.m. for a three hour drive north to what I call “The Mesopotamia of Misery,” otherwise known as the Artibonite River. The Artibonite seems to be the main source of the cholera bacteria in Haiti. (more…)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – In Port-au-Prince, cholera is killing people, and hundreds of thousands of Haitians are held hostage by fear of catching the disease. Most Haitians think of cholera as a death sentence. (more…)

GRANDE SALINE, Haiti – On Wednesday night we got an e-mail from Partners in Health (PIH) saying that they had reached a village called Grande Saline that had been cut off by flooding since the outbreak. There were 78 people dead there and many more were sick. (more…)