A week in Yamagata

 11-3-11

Practised primary series, oh it was lovely, had trouble focussing but shoulder felt better and was thinking I may start back on second series the next morning.

It's March, I've often travelled to India at this time of year, work is quiet, but this year for a number of reasons I decided to stay at home, relax, focus on yoga practice and generally go a little slower.

Sorry to repeat much of what I'm sure everyone is emotionally and nervously tired of watching, but I feel like writing a bit.  You don't have to read.

As we all know a magnitude 9 earthquake hit the coast of Sendai, just an hour away from here.  The fact I am writing this from home, with electricity, is because I am behind the mountains.  It was still big enough though.

First you hear the windows rattle, than feel the floor shake, jars chinking together. 

Is it going to stop...soon....what should I do....it continues, growing in strenght, stay put or go out.  Heart racing, body shaking from fear, from adrenaline.

Got out, run back in turn off the heater.  Run out.   The tarmac is almost rippling, watch the parked cars bounce and shake. Breathe, breathe very deeply, calm down, breathe, looking up seeing if power cables or concrete poles are about to fall on me.  Head to the school ground, open space, it continues, but even this space isn't comforting when the earth beneath continues to shake.  It was like snowboarding without going anywhere.  Breathe calm down, calm.

I'm in socks of course, don't have the presence of mind for shoes.  It's the joke in the neighbourhood, that English woman runs out in her socks.  Don't even feel the cold my heart is racing so fast.

Ground stops shaking. One neighbour in our group, all neighbourhoods are organised into a system of sub groups in a big group, the appointment for leader changes every year.  He checks on the oler people who live alone.  Everyone accounted for.   I see images on one of the neighbour's mobile phones of a river of cars being swept away by a river, a tidal wave.... hear a noise above, see what look like swans, cranes, white birds with long necks in v formation crying out and flying west, then I go back in the house.

No electricity.  Get out candles and lighters while it's light.  More shuddering.  Earth is still moving.  Fill up everything I can find with water, perhaps the pipes have burst.  No t.v. no net no information.  Not sure of the full extent.

Can't settle, go for a bike ride, it's snowing heavily.  All the traffic lights are out, police are directing at major crossroads, cars are back up.  Now I really appreciate all those police boxs scattered all over the city, they were in there straight away doing what they have a plan for.

All the services have a plan, these were put into action immediately, everyone knowing their place, their role, what procedure is required.  Infact 51 brave police officers lost their lives trying to get people out of the tsunami's reach.  They were the last.  They did their job.  So many hereos.

Back home, thankful for many things, think of all the police, electric workers, doctors, army, rescue all those people having one hell of a day.

A reminder of how interdependent we all are, all working for all.  Especially those in the public service.  Public service now has a much great depth to the word.

Dark night, no lights, few cars, snow falls silently, darkly.  It's peaceful.  A friend living further inland near the mountains said the tsunami came close.  Reports of 10m waves and burning oil.  BBC here in Yamamgata.

Thankfully our mobile phones mail worked, the mobile phone providers have emergency service, I could contact my friends in Tokyo and they could post on face book so assure family and friends that we were ok.  I realised later I could have done it, but with low battery, small texts were all I wanted to risk.  Need to save battery.

I feel for those huddled in schools, stranded on boats. Lucy, with baby, north of Sendai, no water, no electricity.  No life line, just a mobile phone with limited battery.

Drink wine, sew, listining to emergency radio station intensely for information. 

At night of aftershocks and sirens.

Tofu shop with one candle, and lovely ladies huddled around a stove at dusk.