Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Radiations

Tomorrow will be exactly a week since we (Japan) got hit by a massive earthquake that registered a level 9. Maybe you heard about it where you live? Yeah, the one that caused a tsunami more than 10 meters high at its peak, flooding 20 km inland and completely wiping out entire villages. Uh huh, the one that in conjunction with the tsunami began a chain reaction in the nuclear reactors in Fukushima, which threatens to engulf more of Japan in radioactive substance. Japan's highest recorded earthquake, the fifth highest on record anywhere, and the worst tragedy for Japan since the war.

And then there's Shimane. Little Shimane prefecture located on the other side of the island. While the earthquake was devastating the Northeast of the main Honshuu island and causing vibrations as far down as Oosaka, I was at work in the Southwest completely untouched and unaware until one of our coworkers informed us. No earthquake, no tsunami, but lots of news all over the place.

Then came the messages and calls. Everyone back in America was contacting me, Jasmin, and our other friends here to make sure we were alright. Aww, thanks guys! But then it got to the point where it seemed like everyone was going a bit overboard. It was a horrible tragedy, and we should be checking on our peeps in Sendai, Tokyo, etc. but chill out about us in the Chuugoku region because we didn't feel an earthquake and are perfectly dry. I made sure to update my sites with my status on that day we'll never forget (3/11), but I still got lots of worried emails and text messages.

It took us a while to realize it was because the news in America had been freaking out, and caused everyone else to freak out along with them. I'd separated myself from the American media a while ago in the course of my Japanese immersion, but I remember those scare tactics all too well. Unfortunately, the tsunami from the earthquake did reach as far as Hawaii and San Francisco, though luckily with minimal casualties. Apart from that, America and other countries seem to be safe. Don't let them attempt to drag the entire world into tragedy, or other tricks to get you guys to watch. You want to know because you're concerned for Japan, right? The media has still of course been covering Japan nonstop, I'm thankful for the support that it's brought us.

So the initial dust settled. It was now time to search for and rescue survivors, and get an idea of the current condition of loved ones, friends, and neighbors. But wait, let's go back to those nuclear reactors. As if the tragedy refused to come to a close, it soon became evident that this could only be the beginning. In Fukushima, there are currently 4 reactors that are slowly but (depending on which news program or country you ask) surely coming apart. First it was just the outer wall of one. That's ok, they said, there's still two more layers and people there are working around the clock to prevent a nuclear meltdown. Well then more layers started coming off, fires erupted, at least one leak that I know of, and more updates by the minute. I'm not well-informed on to what extent in the worst case scenario the radiation in the atmosphere could pose to human health, but of course we want to prevent that at all costs.

What's going on now, almost a week later? The news is telling people within 20 km (12 miles) to evacuate the area, and within 20-30 km to stay inside their houses. I have a friend in nearby Sendai city (about 40 km, I think?) who fled the city, hearing that if the wind was facing that direction that radiation could reach the city in about 60 minutes. People are fleeing Tokyo, CEOs are going to Australia, countries are advising their citizens to come home, and some of my other friends are leaving to Guam. Some people are even fleeing Oosaka now I hear, a mere 3 hours from where we live. But if the radiation was going to affect our area in Shimane it would need to travel around 1000 km (about 600 miles).

With all of the foreigners thoroughly freaked out now, how are the Japanese handling the situation? It's business as usual over here in Shimane, everyone is going to work and not doing and talking about anything unusual. Even on the news, we're seeing people standing quietly and patiently in line for food and other amenities. There's been no report of crime, and on the contrary people in shelters have been giving away their few food items to people who need it more. Many workers at the nuclear power plant have stayed, and are putting their lives on the line to do whatever they can to stop a nuclear meltdown. It's pretty remarkable, the Japanese willpower, even from my perspective after having lived here and been around the community for so long.

So that's what's been going on with that. Any questions you guys still have? If you want to help in some way, I've been pointing people to the Google Crisis Response page. It not only has great resources of information, but offers a Person Finder which the Japanese government has been recommending to search for loved ones, and gives an extremely fast and simple method of donating to a number of organizations (it was only the Japanese Red Cross last time I checked, but now more have been added).

Sorry this post is so long, just wrote it straight through and realized I had more to say than I thought.