As the world watched startling footage and heard accounts of the damage caused by the March 11 magnitude-9.1 earthquake and subsequent tsunamis off the eastern coast of Japan, support efforts are mobilizing. While the circumstances are nowhere near as dire as those of other recent natural disasters, many whose interest in the situation goes beyond direct duty still feel a desire to help. One of the many helpers is Google.

In times of crisis, information is extremely important. That's what the Crisis Response team has done. Just a few moments since the disaster began, the Japanese team in cooperation with other Google offices around the world gathered and organized publicly available information to help people sort out the important information they needed during that time. 

Aside from helping disseminate the critical information, Google will also donate $250,000 to organizations in Japan who are working on relief and recovery efforts. The tragedy that befall Japan is a sad story but we can still make it positive by unifying together in helping those who are affected.

Also the blog world in general, and the WordPress community in particular, shows great emphaty for the victims of the quake and many bloggers are offering monetary as well as other assistance to the affected population.