2011 Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami Operation Restore CPAP

Because of international business and tourism, thousands of Americans were in Japan during the time of the Friday, March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Awake In America has launched a disaster relief program for Americans who were in Japan at the time of the earthquake and tsunami, who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, whose CPAP or BiPAP equipment was lost or destroyed, and are returning to the U.S. by no later than Monday, June 27, 2011.

We are anticipating atround 50 applicants to this program, which will become active on Monday, March 28, 2011. We are not in need of actual CPAP or BiPAP machines, but we do need:

• two-foot and six-foot tubing
• new (not used) masks
• heated humidification units
• and most critically, financial donations (to help cover the shipping costs for all the equipment, as well as printing and shipping of materials to get information about the program into the hands of individuals in need of immediate assistance)
• Grants from corporations, businesses, or government to support this program

Projected costs, averaging approximately $50 per person, with a projection of about 50 applicants, would see our expenses at a minimum of $2,500.

An equipment donation program form for this disaster relief effort will be available in the download section of our site on Monday, March 28, 2011. Financial donations may be made through:

• our Blackbaudnow.org page
• our FaceBook page
• our Jumo page
• the JustGive site
• through the NetworkForGood site
• or through our PayPal account (links located just below this article)

Awake In America is a 501(c)(3) (national non-profit) organization, based in Philadelphia. Donations to Awake In America are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed under law, and donation receipts will be sent to donors.

Requirements

• Copy of ID page of U.S. passport and copy of page with stamp to and from Japan
• Copy of airline tickets for travel to Japan and back to the U.S.
• Copy of airline travel itinerary to confirm presence in disaster areas
• Copy of Rx and statement from MD (other than ENT) that you are under treatment for OSA and date of first use and last PSG
• Name and contact information (address, city, state, zip, contact person, phone number with areas code, website address, and email address) for the home health care company that provided your equipment (must have been within the past five years)

Official application

The official application for the 2011 Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami Operation Restore CPAP program has been posted. It is available at:

•   2011 Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami Operation Restore CPAP application (104.1 KiB, 6 hits)
  You must be a registered user to download this file.

In making donations to this program, please be sure to write Operation Restore CPAP in the “memo” field on checks, or on boxes of equipment being sent. If you are shipping equipment, a shipping label for your convenience has been uploaded in PDF format, ready for printing. It may be found AT http://awakeinamerica.info/download/###

The purpose of Operation Restore CPAP is to replace, at no-cost to individuals, CPAP or bi-level (BiPAP) devices destroyed as a result of any disaster approved for inclusion in Operation Restore CPAP.

“We’re hoping the victims with apnea of this horrendous tragedy in Japan — compounded twice over, and now with added nuclear woes because of the three damaged nuclear reactors – that we can help make one part of transitioning back to normal life a little easier through our program,” said Awake In America’s President Michele Narcavage.

“By quickly replacing the CPAP or bi-level devices used by people with sleep apnea to treat this potentially life-threatening disorder, we’re hoping to help these people — victims of a major disaster – begin to get back to the proper sleep they so desperately need without risking their health or life any longer,” added Ms. Narcavage.

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder often characterized by snoring, gasping for breath, or snorting while asleep. A person with sleep apnea stops breathing, sometimes for 90 seconds or longer, while asleep. When the person stops breathing, the heart continues to try to deliver oxygenated blood to the body, but without breathing.

During this period, because the heart is working in overdrive and the blood, brain, and other organs are oxygen-deprived, the heart often goes into irregular heart rhythms. The brain, in an attempt to save itself, triggers the body to gasp, which causes the apnea the stop when the person wakes for a second or two.

Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to many health issues, including diabetes, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, unexplained weight gain, greater risk of heart attack and stroke, greater risk of involvement in motor vehicle accidents, among others.

Awake In America’s 2011 Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami Operation Restore CPAP is the only disaster relief program of its kind in the nation. It is designed to assist individuals who have been previously diagnosed with sleep apnea and had been using an xPAP device at the time of the disaster.

Disasters approved for Operation Restore CPAP are announced in the Disaster Relief Program section of Awake In America’s site, where more information, applications, and a contact form specific to the disaster may be found.

Operation Restore CPAP is a streamlined version of Awake In America’s xPAP Donation and Relief Program, which was established in late 2004, and to date, has helped more than 500 individuals around the United States.

The March 11, 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which rattled the island nation of Japan so hard the Japanese mainland was moved eight feet from its previous location, as well as caused the Earth to tilt an additional 6.5 inches on its axis, slightly speeding up the rotation and shortening the length of a day. Printed maps and globes are now out-dated. The horrific earthquake then triggered a tsunami, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands missing. The death toll is expected to surpass 10,000 by the Japanese government.

There was little warning prior to the tsunami making landfall, leaving little time to seek refuge, higher ground, or to move further inland. This is where disaster plans come into play: meeting locations, food and water caches, bagged clothing, and other essentials. Sadly, even the best laid disaster plans would have been of little use, if any, in parts of Japan that tragic day.

The U.S. State Department has a toll-free number for people trying to locate or contact Americans living or traveling in Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake Friday. The number is 1-888-407-4747. International callers can call the direct, non-toll-free number: 1-202-647-5225.

Inquiries about specific U.S. citizens in Japan at the time of the earthquake and tsunami may be made to the U.S. State Dept. using the email addresses listed below:

• U.S. citizens in Japan: vog.etatsnull@csuycnegremenapaj
• U.S. citizens in tsunami zone: vog.etatsnull@csuimanustcificap

Tips for giving in times of crisis

When making donations to non-profit organizations, especially after a disaster, don’t get taken by a site or a person stating they are taking donations for a charity. Avoid fly-by-night charities created specifically to deal with the new crisis. Even well-meaning new organizations will not have the infrastructure and knowledge of the region to efficiently maximize your gift.

If you do feel compelled to give to a new charity, be sure to get proof that the group is in fact a registered public charity with 501(c)(3) (non-profit) status. You may do a search on any U.S.-based non-profit at http://www.irs.gov/app/pub-78/forwardToSearch.do by name, city, and state to ensure the charity is legitimately designated a non-profit by the IRS. You may also view Awake In America’s IRS Pub. 78 verification page here.

You may also use NetworkForGood.org to verify non-profit organizations using their charity search engine. While there, but sure to view NetworkForGood’s info page on Awake In America.

Deal with charities that have a proven track record of success, especially dealing with disasters, and are familiar with federal regulations related to donations, disaster assistance, and have a proven plan in place. Awake In America has been operating since 2004 and has run its successful disaster relief program, Operation Restore CPAP, several times, since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Operation Restore CPAP is designed to be ready with little-to-no notice to meet the needs of apneics in need of equipment as a result of loss due to disasters. It is launched at the discretion of the Board of Trustees for specific disasters involving American citizens with sleep apnea whose CPAP or BiPAP equipment was lost or destroyed in a disaster.

Specify the use of your donation

If you’re worried your donation may end up being used for the non-profit’s general operating fund or saved for a future purpose, there is a simple way to remedy the concern. Simply designate the donation to be used for the disaster. That way you money is used for the disaster. Most non-profits do not receive enough donated funds to have an actual balance of leftover designated funds, but if they do, that money will then be used by the charity in the way the charity sees most appropriate.

By designating the use of your donation, you’ll ensure it’s used as you intended. Most charities with online giving portals offer a check box or note section so that you may tell the organization how you want the money spent. If you’re mailing a check, be sure to write a note in the “memo” section of the check, stating something like “CURRENT DISASTER” so the amount is designated on the specific disaster or program.

More specific tips are available at NetworkForGood.org’s Pacific Quake/Tsunami Relief page.

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