Japan donates $200K to New Orleans

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Houston Chronicle/Associated Press

March 29, 2007, 2:45AM
Japan donates $200K to New Orleans

By STACEY PLAISANCE Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — A region of Japan devastated by a 1995 earthquake donated $200,000 to the New Orleans Museum of Art to help this city's children cope with post-Hurricane Katrina devastation.

A troupe of Japanese street performers led school children through the museum's auditorium Wednesday to celebrate the donation, meant for art therapy sessions, field trips and special programs for children and their families.

"It is art, among other things, missed and needed by children in devastated areas who have sustained deep psychological wounds," said Masaru Sakato, the Consul General of Japan in New Orleans.

The donor, the Prefecture of Hyogo, knows well the struggles of recovering from a natural disaster and the toll it takes on children. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake ripped through Hyogo's port city of Kobe in 1995, killing nearly 6,500 people.





Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4670799.html

[dubyaD40web]

1. Sad!

It's really sad that another country has to donate to N.O.'s rebuilding. Thanks alot W! We can rebuild Iraq but can't rebuild our own Gulf.

[Chulanowa]

3. We're rebuilding Iraq?

Are the Iraqis aware of this?

[Bacchus39]

7. haha!

good one

[KamaAina]

5. Several other countries have donated

ranging from the obvious (France is sponsoring an art exhibit titled "Femme, femme, femme" at the same museum) to the unlikely (Qatar kicked in $100 million!).

I once suggested, only half facetiously, that New Orleans should apply for observer status at the UN, since it was obvious even then (only weeks after the storm) that its (present) government wasn't going to do jack. :grr:

[uppityperson]

2. That is very nice. Thank you Prefecture of Hyogo.

[goforit]

4. Amazing!!!

[KamaAina]

6. There should be more where that came from

for some reason lost to history, Tulane enjoys a close relationship with Japanese academia. Maybe a Japanese university could build a "Gulf Center" similar to Tokai University Pacific Center here in Honolulu?

[anotherdrew]

8. and where is the democratic congress's "Rebuilding the Gulf Coast" legislative initiative?

The US Army corp of engineer's is 100% responsible for the failures

OUR god damned congress till hasn't forgiven the disaster loans

as is done in all other disasters as routine.