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Living Through The Great Tohoku Earthquake of 2011
Some days you never forget
Ten years ago today I was sitting at my computer writing when the power cut out and the ground began shaking. I had lived in Japan for years so a little earth rumbling action was nothing new but it was immediately apparent that this was something different.
For one thing, we had never lost power before. The power grid was so reliable I immediately took the loss of power as a very bad sign. Then of course there was the shaking. It was strong and it just kept on going.
Pictures started falling off the walls. The water in the fish tank began to slosh out over the edges and I stumbled across the room to rescue the tax paperwork my spouse had left out next to the aquarium.
It was just my 13 year old and me at home. She ran to stand in a doorway. I lay down on the floor next to the couch. From our respective positions, we argued with each other about which position was safest. I had read an article. She had heard advice from her teacher. Who was right?
The most horrific sound came from one of the bedrooms. Later we realized it was an entire lincoln log village that had been constructed in my daughter's loft bed falling five feet onto the wooden floor with a terrific clatter.
