Keep Japan in your prayers...

I got this message from a childhood friend the other day.  As an employee of a 24 hour news organization, I have been following the story in Japan closely, but it never occurred to me that I might know someone who was directly effected by this disaster.  As soon as I saw her name in my email, I immediately froze, but I thought her words and reassurance should be shared with others.

 

On Friday, I realized how life is unpredictable, and how every word and action could be your last. It has almost been 2 days since the first big earthquake struck, and I am finally at home with my family (I stayed put in my apartment for the first day). I decided to write this email, not only to report the situation and ask for help, but also to let you all know how grateful I am that I got to know you guys somewhere along the line. It's at times like these that you think of how many wonderful people you know, but how you never really verbalize your appreciation for them (and how terrible you are at keeping in touch).

 

First and foremost, my family, my friends, their families and myself are all fine. I realize how lucky I am when I watch the news to see so many people without homes and the rising death toll. Japan (up north) still needs a lot of assistance, and I hope that all of us can help out in our own ways; thank you to all that already have. We are also living in fear of the status of the nuclear power plants and the multiple after shocks (they are predicting a failry large one within the next week), and it's all very scary, but hopefully it will all end soon...Tokyo has minimal damage considering how big the earthquake was.

 

I was in the middle of Tokyo at my client's office when it all happened. The first thing I did was talk to my friend on my work chat about the earthquake. Kind of like, "ugh, it's another earthquake", because we had been having multiple over the past few weeks. I soon realized that it was not the usual earthquake when my body was being swayed back and forth / up and down. I quickly ducked under the desk and kept on hoping the building wouldn't collapse (it's amazing how Japanese infrastructure is so well-built). Japanese people are amazing when it comes to situations like these; the whole office was calm, directed people to keep doors open, stay away from windows, and take cover.

 

After the first earthquake dwindled down, I immediately sent a message out to friends online who I knew had family in Japan. I talked to a few of them until the next earthquake struck and I had to duck under the desk again. We were handed helmets to wear (there were already cracks in the walls and ceilings). I tried calling family but the phones wouldn't work, and it was soon evident that the internet was the only form of communication that was available. My brother was online so I spoke to him and found out my dad was okay. I miraculously got through to my mom on the phone and was able to confirm her safety.

 

We were told to stay in the building for a while, so we stayed there for an hour or so. Multiple after shocks later, I decided I wanted to go home, so I walked down 12 flights of stairs and left the building. There were hundreds of people outside - cabs were already taken (they weren't moving anyway) and the trains and subways had stopped. There were thousands of people walking in different directions, and I decided that I would walk home too. It was like a mass exodus. It took me 3 hours, but I got home safely. All in all, I was very lucky. I had electricity, I still had running water, I was able to go home on the day to find an apartment with almost no damage. Other people weren't as fortunate.

 

I'm still having a hard time dealing with the situation, and I can't stop watching the news. I have not slept properly for days, and have mixed emotions that I don't know how to handle... For those of you abroad with families in Japan, I am sure that it is very hard for you not knowing exactly what is happening and not being with your family. Everything is fine. For all of you out there: please keep Japan in your prayers. We need as much help as possible - no matter how small. Though we may be a technologically advanced, highly developed country, this is more than we can handle on our own.

 I hope that everyone can take time time to pray or keep the people of Japan in their thoughts.

Click here for updates regarding the earthquake.