by
Website Editor
| Apr 06, 2011
The flight to Japan was half full. It reminded me of similar flights I have taken to other disasters-Hurricane Mitch, Hurricane Katrina, 9-11 in Manhattan. It sounds like the return flight may be full. The immigration hall for arriving passengers is completely empty. No one is coming to Japan these days. A passenger on the plane told me that 170,000 foreigners have left Japan since the earthquake. I wonder about all the Japanese people who have no choice but to stay.
I take 3 trains to get to the CRASH headquarters. All are crowded with evening commuters. People are very helpful with directions. They ask me in broken English why I am here. I respond with one of the few Japanese words I know--tsunami. They look down and say nothing. There is great sadness here.
I'm staying in the home of a missionary family on vacation. I have the top bunk of a teenage boy. As I climb into bed, the room starts to rock. An aftershock. For a few moments, nothing is stable. My bed continues to shake. I wonder what others here are thinking. It wasn't an earthquake. Only an aftershock. But, I'm sure it served as a reminder to many of the terrible disaster that happened here .
Tomorrow, I head for Sendai, one of the areas most affected by the tsunami. CRASH has assistance centers throughout the area. I look forward to seeing how they are using our support to bring hope and critical resources in a very difficult situation.
Bas