I'm just summarising all the important things I've read on Twitter so far. (these are things the news won't tell you)

• Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 via your phone bill.
• If possible, communicate with people in Japan via e-mail and Skype first, to keep the phone lines available for other people and emergencies.
• Find people with the following website. It's available in English, Chinese and Korean. http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=ja
• Everyone in Japan is asked to conserve electricity as much as possible.
• Women are advised to stay in groups, especially when looking for a restroom, due to reports of rape in secluded areas.
• All public phones can be used for free.
• For people that are stranded, search for local stores and businesses that are offering help by searching for "○○駅　解放" on Twitter. (enter the station name in ○○)
• Yodobashi Camera is letting everyone use their mobile phone battery charges for free.
• If you need help, tweet your location and condition with the tag #j_j_help

If anyone needs translations on anything like the news, friends' status updates or anything else, please let me know. I want to help in any way I can.

UPDATE

• Risk of liquefaction in coastal areas. In fact, it's happening all over and everyone is asked to be careful. http://photozou.jp/photo/show/1005186/71312722
• People are urged to write their name and contact details on walls with waterproof markers, so family and friends can see them and know you're alright.
• People are also urged to write their name and contact details on their arm with waterproof markers.
• People are urged to evacuate to higher ground and stay there, even after the tsunami has passed.
• People in other parts of Japan are told NOT to volunteer in affected areas for the next 3 days. This is when professionals need to resucue people, and volunteers would just get in the way. People are urged to regain some normality, so people that are rescued have a safe place to go.
• Please stay off the main roads and only use cars in an emergency. This is to avoid traffic congestion for emergency services and Japanese Defense Forces.
• Adults are urged to talk to and help children, and to let them cry, all to avoid PTSD.
• Adults that are able to draw Pokemon and other anime characters are urged to draw them for children, to make them forget about their fears.
• Current death toll is at 1400 people.