Earthquake and Tsunami

It was a strange morning. I woke up to text messages wishing me a happy birthday and questioning if my family was safe. March 11, 2011 would not only be my 21st birthday, but the day that will be recorded as the biggest earthquake to tremble the grounds of Japan, my beloved home country. I stood in horror as I stared into my computer monitor watching clips of the earthquake and tsunami on BBC News online (for world news I always choose BBC). Mortified and shocked, I was in disbelief at the sight I was seeing. As I'm pretty terrible at knowing the geography of Japan's prefectures, I was worried Sendai would be near my family. Initially, I was relieved when I realized my brother, grandma and uncle/aunts/cousins' location was in Chiba and Tokyo, much south of the epicenter. I immediately called my parents to see if they had heard from family in Japan. At this time, my brother was the only member who they had been able to get in contact with.

My 32-year old brother moved back to Japan about 8-10 years ago after finishing college at Bingamton. As a child growing up, my brother was my best friend. Naturally, the news of the earthquake and tsunami made my heart drop in fear that I may never see him again. Guilt came over me as I realized I hadn't wished him a happy birthday this year (which was only 3 weeks prior to the earthquake). But hearing from my parents that he was alive and safe was such a relief. He spent 3.5 hours walking home from work, only to be faced with 37 flights of stairs to his high-rise loft apartment. Minimal damage was inflicted on his apartment, only a crack along one wall. He complained of the lack of food; as grocery stores and conveniece stores were left with bare shelves. Restaurants are all closed, and there's little gas to fill up the car with. He tried to purchase a bicycle, thinking it would be a more convenient form of transportation when the subway system were down, but all bicycles had been sold out. The thought that this is how life in Tokyo is makes me worry about the damage and trauma as it gets closer to Sendai.

We hadn't been able to get in contact with grandma or uncle in Chiba for a week. Phone lines and much of the electricity was down, so contacting them was tough. Luckily, they were not affected by the earthquake or tsunami with the exception of feeling the ground shake a bit. Grandma was in her vegetable garden and rice fields at the time, tending to the plants and was unaffected by the quake. Not a single glass was broken in her house and normal life resumed rather quickly.

My family and friends in Japan were fortunate enough to have survived through this catastrophic event without any harm. I worry and pray for the rest of the country. A close friend of mine was just informed that her grandfather did not make it and a few other members are missing. Half of a village is reported to be missing from the tsunami (9500 people from one village). Thousands of others are missing. I'm scared for them. I'm scared for the lasting effects the radioactive chemicals will have. I'm scared for the aftermath of the shifting plates that will affect US west coast and other countries. Will the world really end next year on December 21, 2012 as the Mayan calendar ends? Is this the beginning of the end?

And I find their reaction to the whole catastrophe unbelievable. They were able to recooperate and resume life so quickly.