Aftermath of disaster

Why in the world did this mother kill her own baby after they survived the massive earthquake and tsunami? (Reaction to the article about the mother arrested for having beaten her one-month-old baby girl to death in Hanamaki, Iwate Pref. on March 22, 2011 at mainichi.jp.)

An outcry against government

My friend in Fukushima cried out, “Does the government want us to die? They ordered a halt of produce and milk shipments while we live without food and gasoline. On top of this, they say we shouldn’t drink water and shouldn’t go outside. What a mindless government to treat us with such cruelty. It is a matter of time before the government bans eating fish. Rolling blackouts are done for the benefits of the people in the Kanto area, not for us in Tohoku. What absolute nonsense!!”

Nagano is ready to help evacuees

Nagano Prefecture is rich in beautiful mountains and clear water. I hope many evacuees from the stricken areas will come to live here. I am also devastated by the disaster. I’ll be there for them to overcome every difficulty.

Elementary school teachers in Kesennuma prepares for graduation ceremony at the shelter

At an elementary school in Kesennuma city, Miyagi prefecture, teachers wipe away mud on graduation certificates which had been soaked due to tsunami and dry them, so that they can hand them to soon-to-be graduates at the graduation ceremony.  The school is putting up posters indicating the time and date of the ceremony at shelters located in the city and invites the attendance of as many students as possible.

Hope as many people as possible are alive in Ogatsu, Ishinomaki City

Not much information has been reported on Ogatsu District in Ishinomaki City…There are so many beaches and settlements there…I hope as many people as possible are safe.

Alive and hanging on, although house was washed away

My friend’s house was swept away. It was just last year when she bought the old house and reformed it. I sent her a text: “I don’t know what to say.” Her reply: “We’re all still alive. We’re hanging on.”

With client's office washed away, will the bill for them be unpaid and gone?

My friend’s office was safe. But his client’s office was washed away. Does that mean the money for the work he is doing will be also washed away or unpaid?

Grandpa's tombstone stood strong in tsunami, although mounted by a car

My grandpa’s tombstone was not washed away by tsunami. It was mounted by a car, though.

Water shortage: many people have not been able to bathe since the quake

Most parts of Miyagi Prefecture still have no running water. We barely get enough from the water station for cooking and hand washing. Most people haven’t been able to take a bath or do laundry since the quake.

Looting at empty stores after the disaster has been reported

Many instances of looting have been reported at shops that were not manned after the disaster. Hope the store owners will not completely break down and can get over their losses.

Starting what I can do: sending aid supplies to the isolated disaster areas

I’ve started what I can do. I’m sending aid supplies to the disaster areas that are so isolated that neither local government nor media can get into.  Looks like they are suffering from great shortage of clothes  (even used ones are okay), underwear and socks (new ones only). Your support will be much appreciated. Please contact DM or @Habiscream! I will reply to you with ship-to address!

Iwaki is almost like a "slum"

SOS! I don’t know whom to talk to, so I will post this here. Iwaki City is almost like a “slum” as no supplies, not to mention petrol or kerosene, do reach there. There may be many other cities/towns/villages that are isolated like Iwaki City.

Magnitude of Disaster

Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano, Japanese film director and comedian) said a very good thing in the Weekly Post Magazine. “This is not a single incident in which 20,000 people had lost their lives, but there are 20,000 incidents in which an individual had lost his/her life. That makes us realize the real magnitude of the damage of the disaster.”  I totally agree with him.

With too many evacuation centers and little gas, relief good left undelivered and piles up,

Even with the vast amount of relief goods being prepared, there are simply too many evacuation centers and to little gasoline to get these supplies to those who need them. Exhausted, evacuees have turned to their neighbors, dividing up old clothes and whatever else they have on hand amongst themselves. Just how much longer can they wait for assistance?   

Don't forget to take care of those mentally ill

Mental care has started to be given to the evaucuees at the shelters, but please remember to take care of the ones who have been mentally ill since before the earthquake!!! The Miyagi Psychiatric Center has its wards broken, and has evacuated all its patients to its gym. The doctors, nurses, all its medical staff are already so exhausted but just keep pushing themselves beyond their limit….