The 9.0 (new official measurement) quake was more than enough to scare me, it even made me nauseous. When the second quake (aftershock) came 25 minutes later feeling just as strong & long, I was certain that I was never going to be the same again. I had never seen the earth & structures move in that manner, even in tornadoes in AR!

The eeriest moments in my life followed that quake & it’s after math. The sirens, for once the warning was in English, was clear in saying get to high grown immediately. No one wasted a second… everyone started moving instantly to high ground. Driving back to my house in the pith black night (unlike the well lit up night in Japan), going in the opposite direction of the crowds, was me & only a handful of others. That night I sat in my home with no electricity & no heat, listening to the eeriest sound in my life, as a single person went up & down the streets one by one clapping a warning signal to tell us the tsunami warning was over… everything was dead silent, even pets, except for this individual & his feudal era method of letting the people know.

About 300 miles away, living 30 minutes away from our nearest Navy base, the aftermath left me stranded. No fuel, no real food supply left, no water, & we were told that due to elevated radiation levels to stay inside & close of all outside air flow. The trains have cut their schedules, some lines have stopped running al together to conserve electricity. This then trickled down into many stores closing or running shortened hours. The gas stations, even 300 miles away, are rationing gas or closed.

My heart breaks. The Japanese people are one that I have grown to love & respect immensely. I am confident that they are will be even more resilient than we can even imagine. The tragic devastation that the northern region is experiencing is unspeakable.

Though I left a few days ago to come home, my heart remains in Japan with the billion people that call it home.