It was a little past midnight on March 11, as I was on the phone talking to my mother in Japan, she screamed, "earthquake!"
She quickly turned the TV on, saw the images of cars and houses swept away by water like toys.
Japan gets hit by earthquakes frequently. Born and raised there, I have experienced earthquakes more than I can count. Still, at 61, my mother claims this earthquake was the biggest one she has ever been in. Her town, Nara, is located about 370 miles from Sendai, the epicenter of this quake.
Out of all the videos on the Internet that I have seen, reporting the tragedy of the quake, I think this one best portrays the severity of the incident .
As an environmentalist, I truly believe in the importance of the need to decrease world's population massively. We are the biggest pollution to the earth and I am a cold person. So, when I hear about the causalities in the news whether they are from catastrophes or wars, unless they affect my family or somebody important to me, I do not feel any sympathy and I was feeling the same way about this earthquake. However, after watching this video and other images of the quake's aftermath, it made me teary, and all my heart goes out for the victims and their family. My family is ok, but this could have happened to them. I am truly blessed that I have food in my fridge to keep me from hunger, but I might not have that luxury tomorrow if a quake hits the area I live in.
When the biggest earthquake from my experience hit Hyogo prefecture on Jan. 17, 1995, I was 11 years old. I was too little to understand the real tragedy and the consequences. The Sendai earthquake, even though I was not there to physically feel the tremble, it made me realize how fragile our lives can be. I will pray for the people's recovery and the continued psychological support from their family.
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