I have received over the last few days more worried emails and facebook posts than I can count. And I thank all of you for your grave concern. Indeed, the earthquake, tsunami, and now the most recent catastrophe, a nuclear meltdown of a power plant in Fukushima, give reasons for concern.
To put your worried minds at rest, I will tell you first and foremost, that Japan has one of the best infrastructures I have ever known. The government takes very good care of its people, and they are prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis, with emergency crews, funding and government agencies in place. Japan has the most earthquakes per square kilometer than any country in the world, and they are an incredibly self-sufficient nation. If there could ever be a country that is prepared for this situation, it is Japan. This is not suggesting that what happened isn't a serious national crisis, but I am confident in Japan and it's ability to organize, mobilize, and repair. Plus, many foreign agencies have been sending help, so I know that this is greatly appreciated and will be very helpful. This does not make it any less tragic, though.
"Today, there are scheduled black-outs for starting the morning of 3/14 in Tokyo, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka. Areas will be divided into 5 groups and each group will experience about 3 hours of power outage." This was a message posted on Facebook by the TEPCO electricty company. I believe that TEPCO has endured some damage due to the earthquake, and thus they are conducting rolling black-outs to decrease the electrical pressure in the region.
For me, personally, and for those of you who are worried about me, I will say that the area affected by the earthquake and tsunami and nuclear issues is 1,400 km, about 870 miles, from where I live, on the island of Kyushu. I live in Fukuoka prefecture, on the northeast side, very close to the island of Shikoku. Luckily, for all tsunami warnings, we are pretty well blocked by the island of Shikoku, thus removing my little town from most tsunami danger. While I do live about two miles from the coast, and would be in considerable danger if a tsunami were to hit my corner of Kyushu, at the moment... there is no reason for concern. I live in the 40th prefecture, at the topmost point of the bottom island (Kyushu). You can see that we are fairly well covered by the purple island, Shikoku, which blocks our path from the tsunami. (Poor Shikoku and bless you). Fukuoka prefecture is known for being very well protected from natural disasters, so I hear.
From the map above, you'll see that the most viciously affected area is the eastern side of the yellow portion of the map, including the Iwate (3), Miyagi (4) and Fukushima (7) prefectures. There are an estimated 10,000 deaths in Miyagi prefecture alone, and many people are still unaccounted for. Information about Miyagi . Fukushima was also very badly hit, and it is having the bulk of the issues with the nuclear emergency at the moment. The bad news is that another earthquake is probably going to hit over the next six days, according to that article I just linked above.
Of course, these feelings of relief are mixed with a great deal of sadness, as in one way, we always feel lucky to have averted a crisis, but guilty at the same time. I will say, that in general, spirits in Kyushu are quite high, and while people are undoubtedly saddened and worried for the victims of the disaster, I have heard from many people a philosophical truth that in the end, we must be happy with our fortune, and not view it as a direct reflection of another's misfortune. This is a difficult concept to wrap one's mind around as we watch the news broadcasts of nuclear explosions, turmoil as office buildings shake and collapse, and homes that are washed away like pieces on a monopoly board. It is hard to remember not to feel bad about my good fortune.
In addition to that, I do know people, here on Kyushu with family in the affected region, and there are fellow JETs up there, and all over Japan who are still in an advanced state of warning. One of my students cannot contact his father who went up to Sendai on Thursday, and as of yesterday, still had not heard from him as cell phones and electricity are not working properly in that area. Naturally, as people who are still missing turn up, things may only become sadder. My hopes and thoughts are with everyone who is still living in a state of unknowing, and in a state of fear. It is a tense and awful feeling.
A few friends and I made a run to Trial, a sort of Japanese Wal Mart, on Saturday night to purchase dry food, toothbrushes and toothpaste, surgical masks, green tea, and bottled water to send up to the Sendai area for those that have lost their homes and loved ones. It is a small token, but in some way, it made us all feel better.
To Donate to Northern Japan, click here
There has been considerable concern, as well, about the nuclear situation... and I am afraid, I am not in a great position to speak to that. A good friend of mine, here, a fellow JET teacher from New Zealand, will be taking a flight home for good, because she is very concerned about the nuclear situation. My grandfather wrote me an email to tell me to take some iodine in a glass of milk to block my thyroid from absorbing any radioactive iodine. This is a sobering thought. I realize that I am quite far from the nuclear area, but perhaps there is reason for concern. I read the article linked below and felt much less concerned about the nuclear situation, but I will still probably drink some iodine.
This article put my mind at ease
I keep telling people, it reminds me of the 9/11 attacks. In many ways, those of us on the west coast were relatively unaffected. Or I was, at least. Watching the television footage, I instantly felt bad that I wasn't more affected by the disaster, although it deeply saddened me. Because any time you see your fellow countrymen, your friends, or any human being parish in such a devastating way, well... it hurts. We are all naturally inclined to compassion for one another, after all. But I can't help but feel amazed by the resilience of human beings. Wars are waged on other sides of the earth, disasters are felt, people die, we lose loved ones, and yet, we find a way to keep on living. The office still opens, the printers still run, the drinks are still poured, and we do it with a sense that maybe, we don't know when the disaster will be at our front door... but for the time being, we are okay, and we do all that we can to keep the heartbeat of our lives going as long as we can.
My love and my prayers to those in the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures... it is very different when you know people in the affected country, is the last thing I will say. They are no longer foreign faces on the news that look and act differently than I do... they are my coworkers, and friends and students and families... and it is this fact, more than anything, that makes me very sad.
For more information as the situation unfolds, you can visit these websites:
US Embassy in Tokyo
US Department of State Travel Advisory
Japan Times - News from Japan in English
To put your worried minds at rest, I will tell you first and foremost, that Japan has one of the best infrastructures I have ever known. The government takes very good care of its people, and they are prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis, with emergency crews, funding and government agencies in place. Japan has the most earthquakes per square kilometer than any country in the world, and they are an incredibly self-sufficient nation. If there could ever be a country that is prepared for this situation, it is Japan. This is not suggesting that what happened isn't a serious national crisis, but I am confident in Japan and it's ability to organize, mobilize, and repair. Plus, many foreign agencies have been sending help, so I know that this is greatly appreciated and will be very helpful. This does not make it any less tragic, though.
"Today, there are scheduled black-outs for starting the morning of 3/14 in Tokyo, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka. Areas will be divided into 5 groups and each group will experience about 3 hours of power outage." This was a message posted on Facebook by the TEPCO electricty company. I believe that TEPCO has endured some damage due to the earthquake, and thus they are conducting rolling black-outs to decrease the electrical pressure in the region.
For me, personally, and for those of you who are worried about me, I will say that the area affected by the earthquake and tsunami and nuclear issues is 1,400 km, about 870 miles, from where I live, on the island of Kyushu. I live in Fukuoka prefecture, on the northeast side, very close to the island of Shikoku. Luckily, for all tsunami warnings, we are pretty well blocked by the island of Shikoku, thus removing my little town from most tsunami danger. While I do live about two miles from the coast, and would be in considerable danger if a tsunami were to hit my corner of Kyushu, at the moment... there is no reason for concern. I live in the 40th prefecture, at the topmost point of the bottom island (Kyushu). You can see that we are fairly well covered by the purple island, Shikoku, which blocks our path from the tsunami. (Poor Shikoku and bless you). Fukuoka prefecture is known for being very well protected from natural disasters, so I hear.
From the map above, you'll see that the most viciously affected area is the eastern side of the yellow portion of the map, including the Iwate (3), Miyagi (4) and Fukushima (7) prefectures. There are an estimated 10,000 deaths in Miyagi prefecture alone, and many people are still unaccounted for. Information about Miyagi . Fukushima was also very badly hit, and it is having the bulk of the issues with the nuclear emergency at the moment. The bad news is that another earthquake is probably going to hit over the next six days, according to that article I just linked above.
Of course, these feelings of relief are mixed with a great deal of sadness, as in one way, we always feel lucky to have averted a crisis, but guilty at the same time. I will say, that in general, spirits in Kyushu are quite high, and while people are undoubtedly saddened and worried for the victims of the disaster, I have heard from many people a philosophical truth that in the end, we must be happy with our fortune, and not view it as a direct reflection of another's misfortune. This is a difficult concept to wrap one's mind around as we watch the news broadcasts of nuclear explosions, turmoil as office buildings shake and collapse, and homes that are washed away like pieces on a monopoly board. It is hard to remember not to feel bad about my good fortune.
In addition to that, I do know people, here on Kyushu with family in the affected region, and there are fellow JETs up there, and all over Japan who are still in an advanced state of warning. One of my students cannot contact his father who went up to Sendai on Thursday, and as of yesterday, still had not heard from him as cell phones and electricity are not working properly in that area. Naturally, as people who are still missing turn up, things may only become sadder. My hopes and thoughts are with everyone who is still living in a state of unknowing, and in a state of fear. It is a tense and awful feeling.
A few friends and I made a run to Trial, a sort of Japanese Wal Mart, on Saturday night to purchase dry food, toothbrushes and toothpaste, surgical masks, green tea, and bottled water to send up to the Sendai area for those that have lost their homes and loved ones. It is a small token, but in some way, it made us all feel better.
To Donate to Northern Japan, click here
There has been considerable concern, as well, about the nuclear situation... and I am afraid, I am not in a great position to speak to that. A good friend of mine, here, a fellow JET teacher from New Zealand, will be taking a flight home for good, because she is very concerned about the nuclear situation. My grandfather wrote me an email to tell me to take some iodine in a glass of milk to block my thyroid from absorbing any radioactive iodine. This is a sobering thought. I realize that I am quite far from the nuclear area, but perhaps there is reason for concern. I read the article linked below and felt much less concerned about the nuclear situation, but I will still probably drink some iodine.
This article put my mind at ease
I keep telling people, it reminds me of the 9/11 attacks. In many ways, those of us on the west coast were relatively unaffected. Or I was, at least. Watching the television footage, I instantly felt bad that I wasn't more affected by the disaster, although it deeply saddened me. Because any time you see your fellow countrymen, your friends, or any human being parish in such a devastating way, well... it hurts. We are all naturally inclined to compassion for one another, after all. But I can't help but feel amazed by the resilience of human beings. Wars are waged on other sides of the earth, disasters are felt, people die, we lose loved ones, and yet, we find a way to keep on living. The office still opens, the printers still run, the drinks are still poured, and we do it with a sense that maybe, we don't know when the disaster will be at our front door... but for the time being, we are okay, and we do all that we can to keep the heartbeat of our lives going as long as we can.
My love and my prayers to those in the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures... it is very different when you know people in the affected country, is the last thing I will say. They are no longer foreign faces on the news that look and act differently than I do... they are my coworkers, and friends and students and families... and it is this fact, more than anything, that makes me very sad.
For more information as the situation unfolds, you can visit these websites:
US Embassy in Tokyo
US Department of State Travel Advisory
Japan Times - News from Japan in English
Feel so sad for those people!!
ReplyDeletethank you by the way for sharing informations
i love you
ale
thanks for sharing! good to hear u r safe!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're safe.
ReplyDeleteHope this whole nuclear failure won't go further that japan has already been subjected to.