Tsunami 日本 One Year On

This is a post from last year's tsunami.
"History in the Making - YOU are there."


ALOHA!                We're OK-

A Blessedly Normal Day in Hawaii!

The Volcano is far down the island chain from us here on Oahu,

all the way down south on Hawaii island.

Thank you for your expressions of concern

on that. . .

Today our hearts are with the Japanese people,

our Pacific neighbors, an island people;

Not only through their visits,

but by being such a big part of the fabric of our Hawaii,

The Japanese people are US!

It was a normal Thursday evening around 8pm.

Chores of the day were done

as we settled into relaxation.

"An earthquake in Japan!"

Interrupted our pleasantly pointless entertainment.

"Oh no." Says I

dreading another tsunami scare

Like Feb. 2010!

We have time and warning (thank God)

due to distance and technology,

but grabbing everything you need

when you live on a boat as we do

and wondering where to go

is not a relaxing place to be.

Sure enough the Tsunami Warning came through.

Sirens, police cars with loud speakers,

an atmosphere of restrained hysteria. . .

The harbor came active.  Some preparing for sea,

others to secure their boats and flee.

We can evacuate vertically here in Waikiki high rises,

they're designed to be safe above the 5th floor.

"Call the _____ hotel," says I.

and so we carried our lives,

cat, and necessaries

to a nearby hotel. 

Kitty was smuggled into the no-pets establishment

in a back pack.

Having seen wild water rushing,

and fish swimming over the harbor

during Hurricane Iniki (2 days after moving aboard!)

I had moved my scooter to a nearby building first.

There's too much to tell.

The eerie, empty streets,

watching the coverage on local TV

and wondering what Friday would bring,

but at least we would be safe.

There might be chaos, no power,

food scarcity,

but we would live.

From the 21st floor, we could see hundreds of stars

dotting the ocean: boats out to sea.

We dodged a bullet in Waikiki,

though docks at Keehi lagoon down the coast

broke loose carrying attached boats away,

and similar damage occurred at Haleiwa harbor

on our Oahu North Shore.

In the morning, after 2 hours sleep,

we could just make out our boat still floating below.

The ocean was still full of boats,

so we wondered if the harbor remained closed to them

due to weird surges.

When we carried our lives back to the harbor,

the water was eddying and surging in very strange ways.

The boat went lower than the lowest tide,

banging our rails on the cement pier, 

then rising to normal height in five minutes!

Boaters returning had trouble navigating

the strange currents.

We saw several near misses as they tried to dock.

In Maui a sea turtle was rescued inland

and returned to the sea.

In Kona a hotel is closed,

the main street damaged,

some homes washed out to sea!

During the emergency, cell phones did NOT work,

but hard wired "land lines" did.

Listen, there is just too much to tell,

 and I have time-stamped photos of the dock going

UP & DOWN,

But today is a day of recovery

and concern for Japan.

I thank YOU for your concern!!!!!!!!

And your prayers.

Today's perfect weather

is excellent for emotional recovery.

I SEE the blessing in horde of people normally

going about their day.

We have spoken with friends near and far who worried.

Life's "normal" worries are stripped of importance.

It is good to be alive

in a place with power and food.

Our hearts are with the Japanese people.

Seeing them around town is emotional,

I want  to hug them all.

So as aftershocks occur,

bodies are recovered,

and nuclear plants threaten,

take a moment to send a kind intention

to the people of Japan,

and the people here, and California,

who lost homes, boats, a way of life.

When could this happen again?

Maybe today, maybe tomorrow.

Which is why 19 years living aboard may be

"enough."

More later!  

Forgive me if I don't comment at your site today. . . 

My friend Judy, who lives way up on the hillside,

had a dream-vision of God:

walking through rushing waters

and floating bodies."

He looked at her and said:

"Enjoy your time."

And so we shall.

Every little thing

is an inestimable blessing!

Thank YOU for caring,

and for blessing me with your Aloha- 

 cloudia