Post-earthquake update

Just wanted to fill in a bit more about the whole earthquake experience, my health, and where we stand on things. First, we're absolutely fine. I do have some sort of lung infection which I've had since September (began the day Rick deployed to Iraq to be exact!) Right now I'm fine, though I'm coughing quite a bit more given the cold air I've been breathing the past couple of days. They were in the process of setting up a medi-vac for me when the earthquake hit, and I've just now gotten the call that they are proceeding with the paperwork. I will probably go out next week if not sooner, and Hannah Jane will stay here happy and safe with a family we've become friends with. They need to do a "lung wash" to get a good sample of the stuff growing in my lungs which they could see on a Catscan they did at the japanese hospital just last Tuesday. It's not cancer, and it's not something that 'will kill me tomorrow" as Rick says -- so I'm OK. But they just need to find out what it is so they can figure out the right solution (three courses of different antibiotics didn't work). They are sending me to a military hospital in Okinawa (not sure which one) that can do the procedure which involves conscious sedation. I'll be gone 1-3 days maybe and then back here to wait for results. I asked the doctor if I could wait until Rick gets back from deployment (a month or so off) but he thought we'd better not. I'm OK though, and will keep you posted on what they find. I'm really fine though. And I have my next door neighbors (and basically all Air Force wives as Tara said) to help out if need be.

We're still a bit in disaster mode in trying to prepare for anything (black outs, food/gas shortages, etc) but we're doing great right now. Looking at the coverage on CNN though, I just can't believe how bad things are. We (Misawa Air Base) are going to act as the relief operation for this area as we are almost fully up and running. USAID already flew in on our flightline this morning and we expect to be housing/feeding Japanese locals as the japanese grocery stores are dependent on the (down) train and road systems. I was shopping in the commissary in the dark a day after the quake and managed to get all the supplies we needed before they ran out (batteries, water, charcoal, etc) Am returning as soon as I finish up here to get a few more things if available. Our power is up though so we've got everything we need.

As for what happened in this area, it just doesn't compare to what I've seen on CNN. We are located on the northeast coast, about a 2.5 hour drive from Sendai. We shook, and hard, and our beach/port area is indeed wiped out (see photos on facebook if you can), but my house is fine, and more importantly, everybody is fine! When they quake hit, I was thankfully home, with Hannah Jane, doing a little project at her little table with her. The house started shaking (as it had pretty well on her birthday) and we didn't think much of it, thinking it would stop in a few seconds as most of our earthquakes do. (Yes, Hannah Jane is so accustomed to earthquakes that when they happen she just yells out, "Earthquake, mommy!" and goes back to whatever she was doing). Then the house started shaking harder and things stared falling off shelves and walls, and I picked her up and moved to a doorway. We stayed a few moments there where we were safe but Hannah Jane was getting scared now with more things falling and breaking, so we moved outside. I walked with her in my arms to the field out in front of our house, and watched as the telephone poles moved from about 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock, with their wires waving and snapping against the houses and each other. I worried a bit that we should have stayed in the house away from the wires but at that point it was getting harder to stand. I kind of braced my legs the way you would ride a surf board, and held Hannah Jane tight on my hip. The house was shaking in front of us and I could hear more things falling inside, but really, it was nothing like the images you see of the areas closest to the quake. I did worry later about a tsunami as with the power/phones out, there was no way for me to know if one was coming other than to strain my ear listening to the urgent messages coming over the town's loud speakers -- in Japanese-- for the word "Tsunami" (which of course, fortunately, is a Japanese word in itself, so we know it!) (Our radio, AFN, which I could get on the car radio, was only broadcasting a message about 100% recall at that point which meant they were asking for everyone to check on everyone else). So we went back inside and I settled HJ into a movie on the portable DVD player and I went upstairs to hang my head out the window and listen. And I watched. Seriously. This is what we Americans living off-base do when there's potential tsunami -- we watch to see what the Japanese are doing. I see some walking dogs and riding bikes, and no one is running, and I can visibly see the ocean from my upstairs floor (we're about 3 miles from shore), so I'm thinking we're fine. Our port did get washed over and the swimming beach wiped out, but nothing like our nearest big town just 8 miles down the road from us which got much much more damage. So we just stayed put, until my neighbor arrived an hour or so later to check on us. I was trying to clean up but the aftershocks were so strong that as I'm sweeping up glass and straightening picture frames, more things are falling. (Hannah Jane would look up from her movie now and then and say, "Mommy! The Earf-quake is still moving!" And go back to munching and movie-watching) Darkness came and we eventually got warm in bed with every blanket in the house piled on, and tried to sleep. Hannah Jane's been sleeping pretty well though the first night was hard given the no power thing made it not only in the 30's in the house at night, but it was completely pitch black with no moonlight (it was snowing turns out), and the bed was still shaking pretty heavily throughout the night. She'd wake up scared, but go back to sleep; I stayed awake most night wondering if I'd need to run us back out into the field again. The second night was better and last night was better still given that we got power back on in the afternoon -- less than 48 hours after the quake.

I can't say enough how well we are doing and lucky we are, as you can imagine given the coverage you've seen. We have the Japanese to thank for our lives really, as they built our base and our houses, and they are all still standing, with little or no damage. Much of the base housing is contained in "tower" apartment buildings which swayed violently, but remained upright given the rollers and shocks everything's standing on. I can't find a crack in my house, except where the panels come together (where there's already a crack). Those telephone poles I watched swaying are now standing completely upright, with no (apparent) danger of falling. One day after the quake Hannah Jane's sensei (teacher) and principal of her school knocked on our door to see if we were OK. Another friend's Japanese neighbor stood in line at her japanese grocery store to get her (the American friend) food for her children, not realizing we're better off than they are. I am so grateful to the Japanese and am going to see how I can do my part to help them right now. I think a number of agencies are setting up donation sites now if you want to help as well (I'll let you know if I hear of a better one or have suggestions)

Many thanks for all your thoughts and for reaching out. For more information on our area (to see that we really are OK) you can check the Stars and Stripes online for coverage on our base, or check the base's website or on facebook (I am a non-facebooker as many of you know, but you probably won't be surprised to find out the military is currently conducting most of its emergency information/updates on facebook!)

That's all for now -- much thanks and love, Mary