Va. Beach charity distributes rice, water in Japan

Volunteers from Operation Blessing International, a Virginia Beach-based humanitarian aid organization, are continuing their relief efforts in Japan, providing rice and water to more than 1,500 people this week.

They distributed the aid at shelters in the northern cities of Rikuzentakata and Shiogama, which were devastated by last week's earthquake and tsunami and are just now becoming accessible as the roads are cleared, according to an Operation Blessing news release.

To reach the cities, the team had to fight through heavy snow, poor road conditions and much devastation.

"Since 2005, I have responded to dozens of major disasters around the world," including the earthquake in Haiti," said David Darg, Operation Blessing's director of international disaster relief. "In all my experience, I have never seen destruction like I saw in Rikuzentakata."

The team hopes to next distribute kerosene for heaters. Operation Blessing has also said it has a medical team ready to deploy, if needed.