Steubenville reaches out to Japan

Steubenville has decided to help Japan recover from the devastation of the recent tsunami by adopting a Sister City.

The Sister City is Rikuzen-Takata, located on the island of Honshu, and it was chosen because its size is comparable to Steubenville’s.

Before the tsunami, Rikuzen-Takata had a population of about 23,000. The population dropped about 40% after the natural disaster, when close to 10,000 people died immediately.

The Steubenville Restoration Group originally came up with the idea. The Rev. Dennis Gang, T.O.R., said that people have been trying to make contact with Rikuzen-Takata authorities but have not had success due to the devastation.

To explain the enormity of the disaster and the length of time Japan will need to recover, Gang compared it to New Orleans, which is still receiving aid to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

He said, “This is much graver, and it’s the whole country.  It’s really just horrific.”

He also said that the problems with the nuclear waste will make the recovery process even more difficult.

At the moment, there is little that people can do except pray. There is a Facebook page, “Franciscan University of Steubenville Intercessors,” where people are encouraged to add their prayers for Japan, as well as any intercessions they might wish.

Although nothing official is yet organized between Steubenville and Rikuzen-Takata, Gang said that any money raised for the benefit of the Japanese city will definitely be sent to someone in authority and will be used to aid Rikuzen-Takata’s recovery.