As everyone should know by now, a terrible earthquake rocked Japan to the very core early this morning, bringing with it a tsunami that has caused immeasurable tragedy and heartbreak.
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this devastation — I encourage everyone that visits this website to donate anything they can spare to worthwhile organizations that are providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami.
(Toyota has issued a statement detailing how the earthquake has affected the company — I’ve included it after the jump.)
Toyota Statement Regarding Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
Toyota’s associates and team members in North America extend our heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences to the people of Japan, our colleagues and their families.
Currently, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has established a company-wide emergency task force to assess the situation and take initial measures.
As of now, Toyota has confirmed that there have been no injuries at the Tokyo head office, as well as the Higashifuji, Tochigi office, Yamanashi office, and Toyota Motor Tohoku facilities.
We are continuing to gather information on our other operations in Japan.
All TMC plants have restarted production.
The plants that have stopped production are Toyota subsidiary plants that produce parts and vehicles, including:
Employees at these facilities have been evacuated to safe areas.
We are also currently assessing the situation at our suppliers, dealers and the impact on North American import vehicles.
Toyota’s number one priority is to support our employees at TMC, our partner companies, suppliers and dealers through this situation.
We will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.
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