Every Monday, supporters of Alan Gross, a Jewish-American contractor who has been held by the Cuban government for two years, rally outside the island nation’s diplomatic mission in Adams Morgan.

This morning, the Virginia Task Force 1 rescue team from Fairfax County returned from helping with USAID efforts in Japan. Despite a week’s worth of searching, earthquake damage and weather conditions proved too extensive to find survivors around the seaport city of Ofunato. Previously we linked to this video, released by the Department of Defense, of the search and rescuers laboring through rubble and helping with recovery efforts. According to WTOP, over $145,000 worth of gear, supplies and vehicles was left behind for the continuing effort. The Embassy of Japan has setup a website with information of agencies collecting donations.