There are not enough words to express the harrowing awe of the rapid onset and continuously unfolding catastrophe in Japan. That water coming in such speed and force to take everything in its way, converting houses, cars, telephone lines, animals into flotsam and jetsam.
As overwhelming as the force of nature, it is the force of culture and character that transfixes- the stoicism, the reserve, the discipline of Japanese people.
Prepared as any population can be for earthquakes and tsunamis, Japanese answered the warnings by heading uphill where they could. Thinking about the Caribbean, I wonder how often we even have disaster-preparedness drills. I feel cynically certain that in the event of an alarm raising, we would be wondering why these people only bothering us with all that over-reacting. Or something along those lines.
So far, there are no reports of overt panic though it is certain that the pall of dread hangs over Japan as they grapple with the nuclear reactors and try to figure out how to get food, drink, shelter. As they grieve for all that has been lost, all that cannot ever be replaced. And the place is cold.
What we are watching is not a superficial galvanising of community spirit in a post-disaster period. No. It seems more like the mining into a reserve of fortitude that has been put into the psychic bunkers over the generations.
This is a spectacle of resilience.
There is also a marked difference in Japan emanating from their country’s commitment to the alignment of physical development plans with appropriate calculated risk mitigation measures. Japan enforces stringent building codes which must add as a measure of assurance to the populace. Of grave concern though is the recent discovery of increased levels of radiation in the food chain; a risk from adopting nuclear energy for the country’s advancement.
For us in the Caribbean, I am deathly scared of not just our presumably chaotic human response to a disaster but the anticipated failure modes of our infrastructure. Too many pretenders, short cuts, kickbacks in the system!
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I listened to an interview with survivors of Hiroshima by a Canadian journalist based in Tokyo who decided to go to Hiroshima to learn from survivors of the A-bomb attack by the US at the end of WWII. It was inspiring and thought-provoking. Here is some of what has stayed with me…
We appreciate transcience…
The mountains have returned to their beauty
We must be patient… we will endure; we will rebuild our country
Surely we can do without all that electricity and technology; the tragedy reminds us that we can live without these things
We can make do with less…
Whatever happens, we will help each other…
Something ironic, but wonderful, about this highly consumerist and technological country that can still remember community and the simple art of Being.
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Yes the Japanese do have their stoicism and resolve. Their response to a major disaster as they have experienced only serves to demonstrate how well they have been conditioned to respond (or actually not to respond) to any circumstance no matter how big or small.
Here in TnT our disaster preparedness centers around ensuring that there are enough eats, drinks and music around for the tsunami party that is bound to be scheduled.
We’ll still be wining when they pull us out of the wreckage.
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Discipline, civic duty and service to community and higher purpose are taught. The Japanese educational system and socialisation do not cede these areas to chance. Their organisation of factories and treatment of staff also embody these values. I am not sure that it still exists, but at one point the salary of the CEO could not be more than 30 times that of the ordinary staff. I visited Kobe and was taken on a tour of their schools and other facilities to learn of the measures put in place after the last major earthquake.
They reminded me of the Cuban in their level of preparation.
School children went through the drills and knew what they should do. They also had a community framework in place. We have had Comprehensive Disaster Management Plans, but they have remained on most government shelves.
Given the proximity of Kick em Jenny and the fact that a major earthquake is overdue in the region, it would be great to see some stepped up preparation and awareness raising. CDEMA and the national disaster agencies should use this opportunity to bring the relevant ministries and populations on board.
We have started ensuring that at the household level we are relatively prepared. We usually put things in place before hurricane season, but we have started early. In addition to the other necessities, the gas tanks in the car are now kept almost full because the lines at the gas stations are usually a visible area of chaos and frustration.
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Was looking at Pierce Morgan last night. He was interviewing a reporter who was in Japan and comparing with events in the US in terms of looting. The reporter was amazed. Said he went out searching for looting incidents and after sometime found a very very small shop that was robbed.
Amazing people. Under all this they can still be so orderly. i agree that it must have taken a long time to have a people behave like this but then again they have gone through this before with earthquake and also the world war. Those stories are not so long ago.
I also saw a video that was showing the wave coming in and people trying to run. Just could not look at the entire thing. This is a horrible disaster. In an instant so much can be lost. My heart goes out to those people. My contribution of money seem so little.
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