Japan - Don't Forget the Victims
-
-
- SamuraiDave
- added this
One of the things that has irritated me in the wake of Japan's disaster is that with so much attention being focused on the nuclear power plant and the worries of the possible effects in other countries (which sometimes borders on hysteria and self-centeredness) is that the victims of this tragedy have been overlooked.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From Kyoto Journal:
Jon Mitchell has been covering Peace Boat's relief operation in Miyagi. He writes, "In the (justified) clamour of radiation fears, we believe that the voices of the survivors are being drowned out - along with their needs. I've put together a collection of their testimonies here."
some excerpts:
- In Japan, Tohoku people are renowned for their taciturn manners, and at first, people were reluctant to speak. Five or six minutes into the interviews, however, when they realized I wasn’t searching for a 10-second sound bite, something in them seemed to give way. Their stories came out in a flow of pain, guilt and disbelief at what they had experienced. Time and time again, they described the Hollywood-like disconnect of racing before the massive tsunami. “It was as though we were in a movie.”
There was another phrase that was just as common in these survivors’ testimonies. No matter how bad their homes had been damaged or how many of their friends and relatives were missing, Ishinomaki’s residents assured us that their losses were negligible. “There are other people far worse off than us.
- For the first ten days after the quake, nobody came to help. We set up an outdoor takidashi to feed ourselves and our neighbors.
We’ve lost our homes and our family members. There’s no gas, water or electricity. But there are many others worse off than us. This is not the worst place by any means.
- Now, two weeks on, there are 500 people taking shelter here in Minato Elementary School. We need food and water, blankets - it gets so cold that we wake up in the middle of the night in pain. A lot of the older evacuees are traumatized. In the daytime we have doctors, but when people grow sick at night, it’s impossible to do anything for them until the next day.
- Now, we stay here in this school classroom with 40 other people. We have no way to leave. Our cars have been washed away. But even if we had them, there’s no gas available. We don’t know what to do. Should we try to relocate? Should we stay? The government isn't telling us anything.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From Kyoto Journal:
Jon Mitchell has been covering Peace Boat's relief operation in Miyagi. He writes, "In the (justified) clamour of radiation fears, we believe that the voices of the survivors are being drowned out - along with their needs. I've put together a collection of their testimonies here."
some excerpts:
- In Japan, Tohoku people are renowned for their taciturn manners, and at first, people were reluctant to speak. Five or six minutes into the interviews, however, when they realized I wasn’t searching for a 10-second sound bite, something in them seemed to give way. Their stories came out in a flow of pain, guilt and disbelief at what they had experienced. Time and time again, they described the Hollywood-like disconnect of racing before the massive tsunami. “It was as though we were in a movie.”
There was another phrase that was just as common in these survivors’ testimonies. No matter how bad their homes had been damaged or how many of their friends and relatives were missing, Ishinomaki’s residents assured us that their losses were negligible. “There are other people far worse off than us.
- For the first ten days after the quake, nobody came to help. We set up an outdoor takidashi to feed ourselves and our neighbors.
We’ve lost our homes and our family members. There’s no gas, water or electricity. But there are many others worse off than us. This is not the worst place by any means.
- Now, two weeks on, there are 500 people taking shelter here in Minato Elementary School. We need food and water, blankets - it gets so cold that we wake up in the middle of the night in pain. A lot of the older evacuees are traumatized. In the daytime we have doctors, but when people grow sick at night, it’s impossible to do anything for them until the next day.
- Now, we stay here in this school classroom with 40 other people. We have no way to leave. Our cars have been washed away. But even if we had them, there’s no gas available. We don’t know what to do. Should we try to relocate? Should we stay? The government isn't telling us anything.
-
- groups:
- Community, Current Tonight, World News, Citizen Journalism, 3 more
-
- tags:
- Japan, Japan Earthquake, Disaster Relief, tohoku
