3.11.2011

I decided I'd post my journal entries from the day of the quake and aftermath.  Don't judge too harshly, these aren't works of a literary genius...


3.11.2011
Probably had the scariest day of my life.  Around 2:30pm an 8.8 earthquake hi Miyagi ken.  I was skyping with Kirby when I heard my earthquake alarm on my phone go off.  At first I didn't know what was going on.  Then I thought I'd wait it out because I'd experienced earthquakes in Japan before.  But I soon found out that I had experienced nothing like this...


I don't think I realized how bad it was at the time.  Might have been in shock.  I also don't have a bunch of stuff to fall off my walls, so I didn't notice the complete destruction of my home until I began to evacuate.  Kirby yelled at my to get out and I grabbed my computer and ran.  It was like I completely forgot all safety procedures that they teach you in school about getting under table or door frame.  I just bolted outside.  But even outdoors was a nightmare.  The trees were swaying, telephone poles were tilting, the roads with buckling, cracking, and water was gushing from the earth!  Then I was struck by horrible guilt that I left Mei, my foster cat, in the apartment, so I ran back inside when the shaking had subsided a little.  The minx slept through the whole thing!  What a lucky girl.


I was terrified that the next earthquake we would have would send me into a nervous breakdown.  Unfortunately, we had 18 or so aftershocks within the next hour.  It's almost midnight now and we are still having earthquakes.  Every time we're hit by another one I freeze, adrenaline pounding, ready to run outside again.


I guess we are big news in the world.  Mommy and Daddy said that Fukushima is all over NBC and the 5 o'clock news.  Oregon is even on emergency warning for a tsunami.  I think (I hope) that our tsunami has passed.  I haven't been downtown to check out the damage.  I can't even get there because my tunnel underneath Route 6 is cracked and very unsafe.  They've closed the road.  The news said that we are supposed to get 30ft tsunamis.  Crazy....Onohama, Soma, and Sendai are underwater.  Just to name few.  Chiba and someplace up in Hokkaido are on fire!  Not exaggerating in the least bit.


I still don't have power at my house, so I'm staying at Bob and Fujie's until I can go home.  Unfortunately I had to leave Mei.  I feel really bad about it, but she has food and water and I know if I brought her here she would just get stressed out.  I hope that she is safe and warm underneath all the blankets like she normally is with me.  At least one of us might be able to sleep tonight.  This constant shaking is giving me a wicked headache.  I hope I can talk to Kirby and my parents soon...