Tsunami Season is here!

I’m more than sure that everyone knows about the earthquake and tsunami that hit main land Japan on 11March.  As the world watched the devastating effects of these natural disasters that would claim thousands of lives and displaced even more, we would all learn the worst wasn’t over.   As of today, 22March, three of their nuclear plants have exploded and released deadly radiation in the air.  The news is reporting how the milk and vegetation has been tainted with radiation, some scientist or experts are saying the amounts of radiation in the foods are low and not harmful.  But there are also reports of just the opposite, warning people about the risk of cancer if eating foods contaminated with radiation.

 

There is talk of relocating some of the people evacuating here to the island of Okinawa…that seems to have sparked another kind of panic here…a food shortage!  Last week people converged on the Commissaries emptying shelves and preparing themselves for what could possible turn into a food shortage for some.  Some fear that very soon food could be rationed out because of the influx of people.  At this point everything is up in the air, but as for me food was not my top priority.

 

With so many family members and friends calling or emailing, maybe for a second I entertained the thought of returning home.  I thought about the lives that were lost in hurricane Katrina and the people that lost everything.  What about Haiti and the earthquake last year… some people are still living in the rubble and with uncertainty about their future.  Natural disasters plague this earth…we can run, but we hide.

Yes, when they issued the tsunami watch here on the island my first thought was “what am I doing here on this rock, surrounded by water” and the warning alerts were more than unnerving. On base there was a guy, with a very stern voice instructing people to go to higher ground over the public announcement system…like myself, everyone understood the urgency and was running to higher ground…it was pretty surreal and then I had to shake my head and get off that base!  What I would later learn is that Kinser (the base I was on that Friday) is on the lowest part of the island and borders the East China Sea.  So if it’s a tsunami or a typhoon warning, Camp Kinser is always on high alert…hopefully the pictures give you an idea of why.

Anyway, I have a contingency plan, but keep praying for the local nationals and foreigners in Japan.

Until next time…

This is the parking lot of the building I work in...to the right there's the sea!

When the weather is good, this is my lunch view.  

Picture taken from the high point of the base where everyone was instructed to go.