Currently, World Vision Japan has deployed assessment teams to affected areas to determine needs and formulate a relief response plan. World Vision U.S. is assisting with relief efforts on all levels, as well as helping to coordinate the response.  Several countries still face tsunami threats. The World Vision office in those countries is monitoring the situation closely. 

How to Keep updated-
World Vision Blog: http://blog.worldvision.org

Follow @WorldVisionUSA and @WorldVisionNews on Twitter, as well as “Like” World Vision on Facebook and watch coverage on YouTube to keep in touch and stay current. 

To Give-

Text to give option: Text “4JAPAN” to “20222″ to give a $10 donation

Website donations: http://bit.ly/Japan-Quake-Tsunami-Relief

Donate, pray, do what you can.  This is a terrible tragedy that will affect people for a long time to come.  It says so much for the Japanese spirit that they are already re-building and working to clear the mess.  Japan is an aging country, and so many of the people who are displaced right now are elderly.  Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers, and lets all find out how we can help.
Peace and love to you and yours, bloggy buddies. 

Just emailed winners!
Will fill them in as they email to claim their prizes. Congrats! 

LegoLand- Rose
Cold Stone Creamery- Nicole
Baby GoGo- Jessica

Just a small update- after a very long night, the river crested, and the water is starting to slowly recede.  We hope that things will be somewhat normal by Tuesday.  Monday night the driving bans should be lifted.  We have some use of running water at this point- yay!  This also means that we have some connection with the sewage lines again.   🙂 
THANK YOU for your kind words and prayers.  They have meant a lot to me, and I appreciate them. 
Thank you also for giving my mind something to do yesterday- writing up contests and things for you to enter was keeping me busy in the “down” time, and keeping me sane    🙂 

I’ll keep posting photos.  Thanks again, all. 

The water is receding at this time- you can see most of the park

Yep- that’s a boat on the street!

I’m off for the night and not sure how long- the water is coming into the house!  Please keep your fingers crossed there won’t be lots of loss or damage…Peace and Love to you and yours.  

~Samantha  

Update- all the pumps and all are set up, and all I can do is watch and wait.   It might seem silly to be on the internet/blog- but I need to be doing something….all day no running water, no ability to use the toilets and sinks, and now there is all this water coming in, and I can’t do anything about it.  It smells, it’s gross, it will be such a cleanup later…We need to do some additional bailout of water every so often, but now it is mostly a “watch and wait” game.  

When the floods recede, they will bring out the dumpsters and all of us can get rid of our ruined “stuff”.  But the house- that will take weeks to sterilize.  It gets into the walls.  At least it was just the lower lever.  Some of our neighbors really got slammed.  And Thank God it’s not a “Japan” situation.  Sorry I am rambling.  I am just freaked.  

I’ll keep you updated as much as I can.  If the power goes- nothing I can do, and I will fill you in when it’s back.  Have a good night! 

The school across the street…..

Oh my goodness….I am sitting here, just waiting for the water.  Since yesterday, we have been watching the river, watching the hydrograph to see what is coming and when and how much- we got our emergency kits last night delivered by Red Cross- It looks bad, really bad.  They say the worst that anyone alive can remember.  Our streets are already blocked off, and no one is allowed to drive them until Monday night.  We are officially in a “State of Emergency”.  Schools were canceled today, and no one will be going to work on Monday, because the river will have crested and there will be no way to get anywhere, because the roads will be flooded, and blockaded……
I just pray our house won’t get water, and that our neighbors will be OK.  The ones all the way down by the river are already flooding…….please send your good thoughts and prayers.  I’m scared.  It’s horrible watching the water come, and knowing you can’t do anything to stop it. 

Those are mattresses by the tree- and that is a park at the end of the street.  Note- the swing set is halfway gone.  We are several blocks away, but if it gets worse…..and it has not crested at this point.  That is when it really goes nuts.  If you all don’t hear from me for a few days- this is why.
Peace and love to you and yours.  Stay dry, bloggy buddies!  🙂
~Samantha

 This week we are hopping for facebook fans. So link up and find some new facebook pages to join and will hopefully like you back.
Put your facebook url in the linky instead of your blog.
Have Sippy and Blessed Elements would like for you to add your link to our wall so we can follow you back.
Thanks,
Sam and Grace