Gilmore says aid will continue to be available

IRISH OFFER:IRISH AID for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami is not required as yet, the Japanese government has said.

The Irish Aid Rapid Response Corps and emergency stockpiles based in Malaysia were offered to the Japanese at the weekend.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore said “Japan is probably the best-prepared country in the world for a major disaster”.

But, he said, the crisis was “of an unprecedented magnitude” and Irish aid would continue to be available as the relief effort wore on.

A spokeswoman for the Minister said the Irish stockpiles were largely “temporary shelters, blankets, and water and sanitation equipment”. The Irish ambassador to Japan, John Neary, is keeping in touch with the relief operation and the Japanese Red Cross.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Japanese Red Cross mobilised 62 response teams in the hours immediately following the disaster and has almost 400 doctors, nurses and support staff providing assistance in affected areas through mobile medical clinics.

Blankets have been distributed to 300,000 people who have been evacuated and are accommodated in temporary shelters set up in schools and public buildings.

The Tánaiste said the Irish Aid would be “ready for dispatch” as required.