The M7.3 earthquake that hit off the coast of northeastern Japan last night has left many in Tohoku shaken. Too close to where "the big one" hit 20 months ago, memories kept right under the surface pop out again like pimples. It's too soon. It's too raw.
I was in Rikuzentakata City Hall when the earthquake hit. There was a bit of a roar, the earth rumbling with a warning, but it wasn't enough of a notice for us to prepare. Our pre-fab building shook. A lot. Items started falling off the shelves. People got up, propping up tall file cabinets, bookshelves and the like.
I sat. It's all so unreal. That famous line from cop shows "It happened so fast" is real in ways I don't want it to be. There's also a sense this is happening around me. It's as if I'm not really a part of this. Japan is not my country. I feel oddly disconnected. I'm not technically a Rikuzentakata City Hall employee. They've already been through this with disastrous consequences. Having lost one quarter of their employees and another 100 or so in contract workers, they know the drill. Literally.
And, I do mean it literally. Once the shaking subsided everyone went into action. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
There are lessons to be learned here. Immediate lessons we need to drive home. Not just for those of us here in Tohoku, but for every kind of disaster.
I reflect upon the following:
1). I've always thought I had an escape plan. To be fair, I did. Having said that, I never made myself go through a "drill" of any sort. Behind the apartment I stay in is a hill, and I can see where I would go to escape, but I've never practiced. I don't know how long it takes. This is not okay. Considering we are to be prepared for aftershocks for awhile, I will do this today.
2). With time we all become more complacent. While I can argue how normal this is and many would agree, this is dangerous. My cell phones are often only half-charged. It wouldn't hurt if I could find (and then carry) a small solar-powered flashlight. It's simply not smart to assume anything. It's hard to always be vigilant. It's harder to be caught off guard and thus completely screwed.
3). People care. My phone rang frequently with people checking up on me. "Where are you?" and "Are you okay?" were welcome questions, especially considering my family were fast asleep in the US. It's okay to hang onto these lifelines. It's further okay to...
4). Ask for help. The apartment I stay in when I'm in Tohoku is too near the ocean for my comfort at times like this. I called friends who live in town, a good distance from the coast and asked to spend the night there.
5). Follow the leader. There are people who have to be calm in situations like this, and they're resources. Use them. Trust them.
In Rikuzentakata City Hall, there were those who went straight into battle-mode. Others clung to each other. At first glance, it looked as if they were hugging. It's not a hug when you don't or can't let go.
I'm concerned about post-earthquake trauma. Sirens, a good source of information because they always follow with an announcement are actually ominous and eerie. Necessary but they're not tools that induce calm.
I'm okay. I will be okay. I have people I can rely upon and I will spend the rest of the afternoon preparing while trying not to obsess or feel stress.
Prepare yourselves, people. It's the right thing to do.
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