Earthquake in Japan

Showing 1 area where the earth moved and left a gaping crack.

Last week there was a terrible earthquake in Japan. The earthquake was an 8.9 on the Richter scale. I have lived in California most of my life up until 12 years ago when we moved so I was used to earthquakes. But the worst one I ever remember was when I was 30 years old. It was my birthday and we were woken up by the swaying of the house and the noise of the glass doors crashing together. We all jumped from our beds screaming and ran to the appointed place; our doorways of our house, supposedly the safest places to hide because they would be strongest during a quake.

Cars and airplanes literally littering the place.

My brother in law Steve was staying with us at the time as his wife was sick in the hospital with cancer and we were helping watch their 2 little kids so he could spend time with her in the hospital. And I remember my husband was on a business tripso it was embarrassing running out in my nightgown and steve in his pajama pants and here we were with all these little kids between us in these 2 doorways. But we all survived with nothing worse than a bunch of books knocked off the shelves and our brick block wall fence in the backyard got a big crack in it and some bricks fell off from the top of the fence. Not a big deal. I think that quake was a 6 on the scale.

Homes displaced and on fire.

One shot of the tsunami that engulfed the areas.

I cannot even imagine a quake as big as the one in Japan was, 8.9. That would actually shake your bones.  We used to go with our kids to the Los Angeles Museum of Science and Industry. There was an earthquake exhibit in there where you went into a simulated “house” and then you stepped up on a pedestal inside the house where an earthquake was ready to happen. I Remember standing there waiting for like 10 seconds with all my kids and then suddenly you would hear all this rumbling and the whole room would shake like heck. It was a 7.5 if I remember right. It was super scary.

Massive earthquake and tsunami destruction



Water whirl pooling and destroying.

 So I can just imagine how terrifying it has been for these people in the pacific islands who have had tsunamis and fires, scares with the nuclear power plants, and missing loved ones. The whole thing is just an awful, dreadful nightmare for them. I have been seeing many pictures of destruction that are coming over the wires and it is simply incredible. Everyone goes through terrible traumas in life once in awhile. But this is one that I actually feel so guilty because I’m so glad I am not living through it.  Not only would it be horrid to deal with the loss of your home and neighborhoods, cars and belongings but then maybe somebody in your family is suddenly missing to top it all off. And where do you go? What do you do for food and water, by now I’m sure it has run out even though they are a very prepared nation.



Part of the airport left destroyed.

 I was thinking about my family and how we have had 72 hour kits for like the last 25 years. At one point when I got into them and redid all the cup-o-soups and granola bars and fruit snacks, I noticed that my youngest son’s had a tiny little diaper in his. That tell show old he was when I first put the kits together! Now they are all married and out of our home. I’m sure there is still something in those kits that wouldn’t be appropriate. But thinking about a crisis of this
magnitude those 72 hour kits would be a drop in the bucket of what would be needed to survive what difficulties they are facing over there in some of the worst areas of all.  I hope and pray that they are comforted by their families, by being together as communities, and by their faith and anything else that helps them along the way. God bless them all.