This is a second update from the directors of Teen Challenge Japan on the aftermath of the earthquake which hit Japan on March 11th 2011:

Thank you for your continual prayers for our country. It's almost midnight and I'm finding it hard to put in words what is happening, but I must do so now because there will be a systematic power cut in Tokyo from tomorrow morning.

1,600 people have been found dead and over 20,000 people are still missing, and the number is bound to increase.

The nuclear power station is almost closed down, but as many as 150 people could have been exposed to radiation.

We got together to pray this morning and decided that we will try to bring whatever necessary to those who have lost absolutely everything. Tim called from Okinawa tonight and we agreed to send some staff and students from the Teen Challenge Centre in Okinawa also.

I've been trying to contact some churches in the area from yesterday, and we received a reply today from a church in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, where the nuclear power station is located, and they said we can use their church as the base for relief work, though there is no heating or petrol now.

We also had a reply from a church in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, where the tsunami hit the hardest. They are still in total chaos, so I'm trying to find out how best to bring the stuff there.

Your e-mails and phone calls, as well as offers to send relief goods, are truly appreciated. We will try our best to find out how to get them to those who need them most!