Saturday, March 12, 2011

Prayers and concern for family and friends in Japan

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit Japan yesterday unleashing tsunamis and causing powerful aftershocks that devastated the northeastern coast of that country. I cringed at seeing the tsunamis wiping out buildings, ships, cars, farms and practically everything it its path. Sendai airport was inundated and images of vehicles strewn everywhere like toys in a toddlers room brought back painful memories of Ondoy, a disaster that we personally experienced just over a year ago.

I have lived in Japan and I could not remember experiencing an earthquake that is even half as strong as this recent one. Perhaps my only memory of a powerful tremor is the one that rocked Baguio and Central Luzon including Metro Manila in 1990. That one killed so many people and caused liquefaction in many cities that damaged a lot of buildings. It took years to recover from that earthquake; not even mentioning that it could have been the event the woke up Mt. Pinatubo, which erupted the following year and causing much more destruction.

Before and now, there are still many friends and people I consider family who are in Japan. Come to think of it, there are family there because the Clairvoyant's aunt, nephew and niece are somewhere in northern Tokyo. Friends include professors in different universities and churchmates at Yamate Catholic Church. I also have many former students who are now taking graduate studies there.

Closest to me are my Ninang and Ninong, Mila and Hiroshi Takashima, who live in the Yokosuka area. I used to spend Christmas and New Year's with them while I was still studying in Yokohama. They were my second parents and I love these people. As of today, I have not been successful at contacting them just to know how they are doing. I do believe that they are safe especially from the tsunamis, considering that their home is located in an elevated area and kilometers away from the coast.

For now, we are one with the people of Japan in prayers and concern over those who were and are affected by this disaster. Prayers and concern are also extended to friends and people in vulnerable areas touched by the Pacific Ocean including the eastern coast of the Philippines. If Japan was a country that was supposed to be prepared for such disasters and still came out like this, we can only imagine how it could have been for our country if an earthquake of that magnitude was to hit nearby and also unleash tsunamis like yesterday's. Indeed, we were lucky that the Philippines was spared from the high waves that the Japanese experienced.

We can only hope that the worst is over and that life will go on. We pray that those affected are able to recover even considering the effects of such events on their psychology. We hope that their faith will be strong enough while the Almighty comforts them through friends and acquaintances who empathize with them in this time of need and reflection.

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