Riverside County on Standby for Japan Aid

Riverside County stands ready to lend whatever help it can to Japan following the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated large segments of the island nation's northeast quarter, the county's foreign trade commissioner said today.

"We have pledged our support in any way possible to assist Japan in its rescue and recovery operations,'' said Commissioner Tom Freeman.   

He said he extended an offer of aid during a conversation with officials at the Japanese Consulate-General's Office in Los Angeles today.  

"I expressed our condolences on behalf of the Board of Supervisors and the people of Riverside County,'' Freeman said.   

According to the foreign trade chief, the consulate-general's office has been deluged with calls from Japanese nationals living in the United States frightened for family members and friends they're unable to reach because of interruptions to telecommunications caused by the quake.  

"Understandably, things are jammed,'' Freeman said.   

He said members of the county's Urban Search & Rescue Team, under the supervision of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be available to head overseas if called.   

On Monday, the county will be sending an official condolence letter, signed by each board member, to the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C.   

Japan is one of the county's top five trading partners, with roughly 17 percent of all goods produced in the county going to the Asian nation, according to Freeman.   

He said there are 97 Japanese-owned businesses operating in Riverside County.

At least 1,000 were presumed dead in Japan as a result of the earthquake, the L.A. Times reported.

Murrieta Fire Department Spokesman Matt Corelli said some of the department's firefighters were members of the FEMA Riverside Task Force 6 urban search and rescue team, but they have not yet been mobilized for the Japan effort.

Members of Los Angeles' urban search and rescue have been mobilized, according to news reports.

Murrieta Fire Capt. Eric Ballard is one of 10 deployable task force members from Murrieta. He said if any Murrieta crews were deployed to help, it would be on orders from FEMA, and that two crew members would be sent.

Ballard said it is not uncommon for them to be sent to help in rescue efforts. Crews from Murrieta were deployed to help after Hurricane Katrina, as well as for 9/11.

Donations for Japan quake victims can be sent to riversidecounty.redcross.org, or by calling 800- 733-2767.

City News Service contributed to this report.