Earthquake

We've all heard the saying, finders keepers, but we know that's not really the right thing to do.   There's no better example of that than the story detailed in The Los Angeles Times.  People in Japan turned in millions of dollars in cash after the tsunami and earthquake-cash that can't be traced and no one knows you found.  The article calls it a testament to the Japanese culture of honesty. What do you think would you do the same or be tempted to keep the cash?

UPDATE: Thanks to the generosity of Dillons, Baker's and Gerbes customers and associates, more than $21,600 in donations have been collected in the past two-and-a-half days to support earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. Make donations at the check-stand, online, text messaging, or by mail. WICHITA, KS – January 15, 2010 – In response to the unimaginable tragedy in Haiti, Dillon Stores and Red Cross have partnered to provide an easy way for customers and employees to make donations at all Dillons, Baker's, Gerbes, and Food-4-Less (Fremont, NE)

On the one year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake, Willie Newcome returned to Kansas. “The emotion that comes to my mind is sadness. It's just tragic.” Newcome, who lives in Inman, was in Haiti for his annual trip to volunteer his time at an orphanage. It’s where his two adopted sons, Wilton and Olivier, grew up. “It's been hard for them and in ways we probably don't understand,” says Newcome talking about the teenage boys’ transition to a life in Kansas.

Nei Oikawa, a Japanese woman living in Wichita, says she knew she wanted to help raise money for Japan the moment she heard about the earthquake and tsunami last month. She came up with the idea of selling t-shirts.  Oikawa was able to get sponsors to help with the cost of printing up 500 shirts with the word Hope printed on them. She says the money made from the shirts will be donated to the Red Cross. You can buy one of the t-shirts for a donation of $10 or more at several area businesses.

A magnitude 5.3 quake centered in Southern Colorado shook up a South Hutchinson woman, even though she lives 370 miles away.  Smith had gotten up at around 1 a.m. to take her medication and drink some tea when the quake hit. "I was sitting up watching TV and my chair started moving and I noticed that everything in the room was moving," Smith says.  "And it stopped, and it happened two or three times. " The shaking even caused ripples in her cup of tea.  Realizing it was an earthquake, Smith called 911 where the dispatcher was skeptical.

Email Lauren: lseabrook@kwch.com Like Lauren on Facebook: Lauren on Facebook Follow Lauen on Twitter: twitter.com/goseabrook Lauren Seabrook comes to KWCH from Topeka where she worked as Evening Anchor and Reporter for Kansas First News. She started at KTKA in 2009 and joined KSNT and KTMJ during a merge in 2011. Lauren is a native Oklahoman and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in Broadcast Journalism in May 2009. While attending UCO, Lauren anchored, reported and produced for NewsCentral, a local cable news affiliate.

It sounds like traditional construction, but that's about all that's traditional about a new building process, happening in Greensburg. "These little six inch blocks are the interior wall and the exterior walls are 15 inch blocks," explains Orval Howell.  A company out of Germany is building the home, built entirely out of wooden blocks that volunteers are putting together. Just a few examples of what makes the process unique, the boards used are held together with just dovetails, dowels and a few staples.

By John Boyd (WICHITA, Kan.) The World Famous Harlem Globetrotters will be in Wichita next weekend…and a portion of their proceeds will go to relief efforts in Haiti. The Globetrotters are donating a portion of gate proceeds from all seven of their games the weekend of January 22 – 24 to UNICEF's Earthquake Relief efforts for the country of Haiti. They'll play at Intrust Bank Arena on Friday, January 22 at 7 p.m.  "We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that have so ravaged Haiti, and our hearts are with them," said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider.

Koch Industries, Inc. has announced that it will donate a million dollars for disaster relief efforts in Japan.  Half of that money will go to the American Red Cross, the other half to The Salvation Army. The donation comes after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. “Our hearts go out to the people of Japan as they deal with overwhelming and unfolding challenges,” said Dave Robertson, president and COO of Koch Industries in a press release. “Although our presence there is small with only seventy-five employees, this is an important humanitarian effort.

The devastation from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan hits home right here in Kansas. Emporia State University has about 40 students from Japan. They're now raising money for family, friends and strangers back home. For every donation received, students will create origami cranes. The cranes will be hung in the Memorial Union. Aki Notomi is one of the Japanese student. Her family is safe, but she worries that things are getting worse. "People don't have enough water, clean water," says Aki. "So, we need to give the money to buy new, clear water.