Japan Tragedy. How to Help?

Members of the Japanese OpenStreetMap community launched an Ushahidi platform for Japan just hours after the devastating earthquake struck the country. Less than 24 hours later, Japanese students at The Fletcher School in Boston (where the Ushahidi-Haiti project was run last year) mobilized to support the Tokyo-based crisis mapping project. Today, almost 3,000 individual reports have been mapped on the platform.

Here's a list of ways to help victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

On March 11, 2011, a huge 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Japan, causing widespread destruction. President Obama has already released a statement sending "deepest condolences" and promising support to the stricken country.

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide

Individuals are doing it, banks are doing it -- faced with the horrific news and pictures from Japan, everybody wants to do something, and the obvious thing to do is to donate money to some relief fund or other. Please don't. By Felix Salmon - Reuters.com

Now, more than ever, do the Japanese people need our help and support to get through this crisis.