Disaster Strikes Japan

(Mar. 20, 2011) I think it would be almost impossible for me to write this week’s article about anything other than the enormous tragedy that struck Japan last Friday. The news-coverage almost all of us have watched for hours the past several days has shown video and told stories of tremendous devastation and deep despair along with some marvelous stories of survival from the earthquake and tsunami that followed a few minutes later. The epicenter for the 9.0 magnitude earthquake was about 80 miles off the coast east of Sendai, a city of about a million people. Oklahoma sometimes has earthquakes around 4.0 which may break a few windows, cause thing to fall off shelves and shatter peoples’ nerves. The Sendai earthquake had energy about 20 million times greater than a 4.0 earthquake so it’s easy to see why it plus the tsunami was so devastating.  With the tsunami traveling about 500 miles per hour toward the coast the people had, at most, about ten minutes warning along the coast north of Sendai and maybe 20 minutes in Sendai.  Because of our wonderful sister cities relationship with Kameoka for more than 25 years and work with students and others from all over Japan, there are many friends, as well as family members of some including my wife and I, that people in Stillwater are very concerned about.  We’ve contacted several friends in Kameoka that said they felt the earthquake, but there was no damage in our sister city, just great concern and sadness for their fellow citizens. My wife, Kayo, contacted her family in Kyoto Friday evening who also reported feeling the quake. Kayo’s sister’s granddaughter lives in Tokyo and they had not been able to contact her at that time. When they finally made contact she said all trains in Tokyo were out of service after the quake and that she walked three and a half hours to get home.  That’s like walking to Perkins but in a city of some 20 million people, many also walking home. Mrs. Fujita, the storyteller that visited the elementary schools in Stillwater for quite a few years lives in Kashiwa just on the northeast outskirts of Tokyo and reported that she could not stand during the quake. However, her real concern was for her son and his family who live in Sendai.  After many nerve wracking hours she was finally able to contact him and they were okay.  But there is still great concern about friends in Sendai. A year ago a group of high school girls from Sendai were here through a Wings of Rotary short exchange program. Two were homestay guests in our home. We finally made contact with one after several days. She said she and her parents were staying with relatives near Tokyo. Their home sustained some damage but the family is okay. We have been unable to contact the other girl and are very concerned about her and her family. I have talked with Bob Burk and Mel Miller who are trying to contact a friend of the three of us without success so far.  I also talked with Dave McCroskey who works with Wings of Rotary groups coming to Stillwater from the Sendai area. A group that was scheduled to arrive last Wednesday cancelled the trip. Members or family members are missing or homes are damage or destroyed for every member of the group.  Please remember all of these as well as the people throughout Japan in your prayers.