Aftermath

It was the weirdest feeling... like all of a sudden I was feeling sick, and after two or three seconds passed I noticed the people around me looking confused and shocked.  "Oh! An earthquake!  Oh jeeze... it's long.  It's not ending.  Still not ending.  Stronger now.  Ok, everyone under your desk!  What should we do?"  "怖い、怖い、大きい、怖い！"  After several minutes it finally finished.  We got all of the students outside to wait.  Even then as we headed outside the ground was still shaking.  We sent the students home early and tried to assess any damage as the building continued to shake every several minutes.  One student who broke her shin a few months ago was panicked.  She can't run because of her shin, and she couldn't contact her parents.  I stayed with her after school and distracted her by playing games until her dad showed up.  Luckily there wasn't any damage where I live, but there is lots and lots of damage in other areas of Japan. The latest I've heard is that there was an explosion at a nuclear power plant and that there is a warning for dangerous rain coming up.

This earthquake wasn't violent shaking like the last big one I felt, this was a violent swaying.  It felt like I was on a boat, and the whole building was just rocking around on waves.  Imagine, the BUILDING as the boat, floating on solid land.  Once the shakes stop, there is no trusting anything anymore.  Our idea of physics is lousy, and land no longer feels safe.  Just waiting for the next time the Earth will shake.  Wait to see if things fall over or if walls come in.

News casters were saying the same thing.  It felt much different than other earthquakes, and at first they thought something was wrong with them.  Thought they were about to pass out or they felt dizzy, seasick. More of a rolling feeling than a jerking feeling.  Maybe it was because of where I was in relation to the epicenter?  Elliott who was much closer felt it differently that I did and said that his apartment was torn apart.  The building is still fine, but it looked like someone had gone in and thrown all of his things around.  Luckily nothing was broken.  His whole city has no electricity or running water however.  I think it was the largest quake since 1890 in Japan, and the 6th largest in recorded history.

I felt aftershocks all night, and some areas closer to the center have continued to feel shocks for a full 24 hours or more.  My hopes and prayers go to all of those families waiting to hear from loved ones, or who have experienced recent loss.  I hope there is some way I can volunteer to help in the coming days.

Well, since I am not very close to the original earthquake the effects in my area are small, but please send out your prayers to those closest to the coast and devistatation.
Thank you!

-Lana