Conditions in Japan after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunamis have deteriorated. This despite the inherent discipline of its people and the tremendous effort its government and various sectors of society to have things under control including trying to alleviate the misery now being experienced by people in the north eastern areas of Honshu. The devastation is just too immense even for a country that has prepared for the "big one" since the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed much of Tokyo and its environs early in the last century. The destruction is just too much for a country that has the resources to supposedly allow them to deal with the aftermath of what is usually termed as an "act of god." Certainly, for believers, no kind god would be responsible for such event that is now compared to similar stories found in the Christian Bible.
I have seen the videos posted in YouTube from the various news agencies including NHK as well as the amateur ones taken by various people who probably were at the right place at the right time but only in terms of their being able to get footage. No one will probably dare claim that being in the path of a tsunami can be classified as being at in the right place at the right time. That will be true only if one was suicidal. All the videos say the same story but some are just so depressing to watch. I cannot imagine experiencing something like what the people in the coastal cities and towns of the Tohoku region had experienced and are continuing to experience now. And I say this from the point of view of someone who has survived many floods including those brought about by Ondoy (International name: Ketsana) in 2009. The destruction by Ondoy was also an extreme event but it was made worse because we were ill-prepared and its proportions could have been averted if the flood control infrastructure were in place at the time. And sadly, it still is not at this time. The tsunamis that ravaged northeastern Japan were different and arguably no one can prepare for something like that even in the light of lessons learned from other seismic events comparable in magnitude and impacts.
I am regularly updated of the situation in Japan thanks to Facebook posts by friends residing in the Tokyo area. It is unfortunate that they have to experience something like this while in a foreign land. I can only imagine that food and water supply are now becoming limited as resources are diverted to the Tohoku region. I do think, however, that this is temporary as resources from western Japan are eventually transported to alleviate conditions in the hard-hit areas. The cities of Kobe and Osaka certainly know how it felt when they were on the receiving end of a powerful earthquake in the 1990's and should contribute along with the rest of the country in bringing stability to the supply lines. Nevertheless, the news also mention other countries now planning to evacuate their citizens from the devastated area and even from Tokyo.
I was only able to talk with my Ninang Mila last Monday. I had tried to contact them since I got news about the earthquake and wasn't successful probably because of the volume of calls to and from Japan this past weekend. I was glad to be able to talk to her and know first-hand that she and her family are okay. They live in Kanagawa Prefecture, which is south of Tokyo, in the Yokosuka peninsula. I wasn't worried about them being victims of a tsunami because I knew that they lived inland and quite far from the coast. I only worried that maybe their home was damaged by the quake considering how it shook Tokyo and Yokohama. From the sound of her voice I could tell she was happy we were able to talk. It has been some time now since we've seen each other as I have not visited Japan for about 3 years now and I haven't had the chance to visit their home since 2001. Since then we've only managed to exchange postcards and have the occasional conversation via telephone. Events such as the earthquake remind us how important it is for us to keep in touch with persons close to our hearts and yet are often just assumed to be there. To some now, it is a painful reminder because those people would probably be gone.
My prayers and sincerest concerns to those affected by the March 11 quake and tsunami in Japan. May God bless and comfort you all in this time.
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