I am ever amazed by what has happened in Japan. To watch the videos and to see the pictures are just heartbreaking.
On the other hand, it is amazing to hear and read the miracles that have come from this. People not doing what they normally had planned and it prevented them from being where they might have been in harm's way.
It is also amazing to see our church in action. They have been praised worldwide for their communication and relief efforts there in Japan. I just wanted to share some links and stories that I have received.
Messages from missionaries, church members, military and so on:
"Well we got to the church about 30 seconds before the tsunami hit and then tried to save the bikes as we watched them rush away. I think that a member might have found them though. We are still struggling to call people because the lines are hard. The streets are messed up and cars are all over and on top of each other. I have lots of pictures and videos. I will send them. Well we are good here. The area is gone. We are in Sendai. Well more when I can. I am fine though. We might have another baptism this month but oh well…"
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First, all of the missionaries are now out of Sendai and Tokyo. One Elder reported: "Sendai missionaries in the southern part of the mission went to Tokyo and then were flown to Sapporo while missionaries in the northern areas were going to be bussed to the north and then ferried across to Sapparo."
One thing not reported in any media was that many missionaries all over Japan were in Mission Offices or Churches for Zone and District leader training and conferences when the earthquake hit. Many were not in their apartments nor outside, which we think helped protect so many of our missionaries. They were with groups of missionaries along with their Mission Presidents.
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Elder … emailed his mom: He said on Sunday Pres. Tateoka took him and his companion back to their apartment in Fukushima to get some things. When they got there Pres. Tateoka would not let them go up until he went and checked to make sure it was safe.
The entire apartment was trashed. The refrigerator was on its side and had moved across the room. All the dishes were broken and the windows were all blown in. He was able to get some stuff but because of all the debris and glass he was afraid to dig through it to look for some things (like his camera).
He said it was a blessing that they had been at zone conference when the earthquake struck because if they had been in Fukushima they would have been in the apartment for planning time and would have surely been injured.
He told me that they were on the second floor of the church in Koriyama when the earthquake started and that there is a warning system that sounds on the cell phones when the Earthquake gets past 6.0. All the alarms started going off and Pres. Tateoka yelled at them to get out now!
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… said that he had to hold onto the railing to get down the stairs and that the Earthquake kept slamming him up against the wall. As soon as they got outside it started snowing heavily.
He said that he has heard many miraculous stories about how missionaries just happened to be doing things just a little differently than they normally would, or had planned to, and that is what saved them!
It was really, really difficult for them to say goodbye to members and investigators.
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Message from Sendai Mission President..."All is well as far as I know. Koriyama zone elders are at the evacuation center. Honbu is at the evacuation center. Ishinomaki is at the evacuation center. Morioka Elders, Kamisugi Elders and Sisters are safe. We could not get back to Sendai and had to turn back to Koriyama after 6 hours of driving. We have no phone contact. Thanks for your prayers. Love, President Tateoka"
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Some missionaries were not allowed to return to their apartments to get their clothing, etc., so they arrived with only what they were wearing. They are being taken care of. :-)
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The final two missionaries are now safe and accounted for. They arrived at an evacuation center and were finally able to send a text message to their Mission President.
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A Report from Tokyo Public Affairs Director
From Conan Grames, in Tokyo: March 16, 2011
We have had quite an experience here in Japan the last few days. Cindy and I were in the office when the quake hit. We have experienced several of these during the years we have lived here, but I immediately knew this one was different. It was the first time I decided to get under my desk. It
took very little encouragement from Cindy to do so. While under the desk, the shaking continued to grow and seemed to last forever. At that point I began to wonder, "How bad can this get?" Coincidentally, last week I had read two first-hand accounts of our missionaries who were in Japan
during the great Kanto earthquake of 1923. I wondered if this is what would happen. It actually turned out to be a stronger quake up in Sendai. We suffered little damage here—lots of noise and things falling off shelves and shattered nerves.
We have spent the time since, pretty much around the clock, looking for missionaries and members. All the missionaries were found alive and well, even those on the coast. It took us four days to find two sisters who were on the coast in Ishinomaki and get them out of the area. So far we have had no reports of serious injury among members of the church, although many have had to leave their homes.
Our responsibility is communications. Much of our time has been spent coordinating with Diane Sawyer's ABC news team about doing an interview with a missionary who experienced the tsunami. It turned out she couldn't get into the area, but their 20/20 team is here and they are still seeking
an interview. The missionary who will do the interview climbed to the second floor of the chapel with his companion. They watched the water come through the parking lot, sweep away their bikes, and flood the first floor of the building.
Tuesday we sent our first team into the area since there was no transportation until now. They will assess needs so we can begin to send relief. We have met with the Red Cross and the government and have offered cash contributions in addition to the in-kind help. The greatest physical need is gasoline, diesel fuel, food and water.
Wednesday we received instructions from church headquarters to evacuate all our missionaries out of eastern Japan. This was due in large part to the radiation threat and the fact that many of them have no food, water, and electricity. This is a real blow to the members who love the missionaries and depend on them, but they also want to feed and clothe the missionaries when they can't even take care of themselves at this time.
I am sure you have seen the devastation on TV. It really is unbelievable. We feel there has been much divine help in finding people. We hope we can be of some help to those in need.
Conan and Cindy Grames
Directors, Public Affairs
Asia North Area – Tokyo
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Message from the Pacific Area Emergency Response Manager for the LDS church:
Japan Earthquake & Tsunami – Update #5
March 14, 2011
Status of Church Members and Properties
- All missionaries in Japan are accounted for and are in safe locations.
- All missionaries have been moved at least 60 km from damaged nuclear plants.
- All Church employees in Japan are safe and accounted for.
- Approximately 950 members have been contacted. Initial reports indicate there are no injuries or confirmed deaths of Church members; however, there is still limited information on the status of members from the most devastated areas.
- Local Church leaders and area leaders are working tirelessly to contact and assist all members in the affected areas.
- Of the 54 church buildings in the affected area, 31 have been assessed thus far. Of those 31 buildings, 19 have suffered varying degrees of damage.
- There is no significant damage to the Tokyo temple.
- Church leaders in the Sendai Stake are in the process of assessing the condition of all Church member homes.
- The LDS disaster response team at Church headquarters is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant contact with the area office in Tokyo.
- Area leaders are working with government and humanitarian organizations to provide assistance.
- Members throughout Japan are expressing their love and sympathy to those affected by the quake and are anxious to provide assistance.
-A record 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan on March 11, near the city of Sendai. The quake generated a powerful tsunami which struck northern Japan within minutes, causing widespread destruction to coastal areas and communities. The Japanese government is reporting significant loss of life and severe damage to buildings and infrastructure in the Sendai area.
- More than 2,800 people are confirmed dead with thousands more missing as search and rescue efforts continue.
- The area continues to experience strong aftershocks triggering tsunami warnings. More than 300 aftershocks have been reported which are hampering rescue efforts.
- The majority of causalities in Japan are expected to be from the tsunami rather than the earthquake.
- The government of Japan has mobilized thousands of troops, planes, and ships for a large-scale emergency response operation. The U.S. government and military has pledged full support to rescue and relief efforts.
- Japan declared a state of emergency due to the threat posed by damage to two nuclear power plants and has ordered the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents.
- Access into the Sendai area is very limited.
- Roughly 2,050 evacuation centers are open with approximately 400,000 occupants.
- More than 4 million people remain without power. The government has implemented rolling blackouts to help conserve energy.
- Water and power systems have been damaged or destroyed in the affected area creating a shortage of clean water and other basic supplies.
- Tens of thousands of earthquake victims have been displaced from their homes.
- Communication services in the Sendai area continue to be difficult.
- No major damage is being reported in other countries from the quake or tsunami waves.
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There are native Japanese missionaries who have family members living in the worst hit areas! I can't imagine how hard it would be, waiting and wondering about their loved ones--family, relatives, neighbors, fellow ward members.
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Japan: Please pray for the Military that have been sent to Japan to aide in the rescue. Many of the worst hit areas cannot be accessed yet.
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We are still waiting for an update on the Sendai missionaries. We will hopefully hear soon. This much we do know:
-Contact with all mission presidents in Japan has been established.
-All missionaries outside the Sendai mission are safe and accounted for.
-President Reid Tateoka of the Sendai mission has contacted the area office.
-All missionaries in Japan living along coastal regions have been moved to inland locations.
-All members of the Asia North Area presidency and their wives are safe.
-Minor damage is being reported to the Tokyo temple.
-Tokyo temple housing is being used for to house members unable to return to their homes.
-Local Church leaders are working to contact all members.
-All employees in the area office are reported safe.
-The LDS Disaster response team at Church Headquarters is monitoring the situation and has been in constant contact via "Skype" with the Asia North Area.
-Leaders in all area offices are on high-alert and are working with local leaders to contact members and make them aware of potential tsunami danger.
-Government officials in all Pacific countries are working to move people to higher ground.
-Many cities and towns along the eastern coastline of Japan are reporting extensive damage from the tsunami. This is the fifth largest earthquake since 1900 and is the largest earthquake to ever hit Japan.
-Hundreds of deaths have been confirmed and numbers are expected to increase as reports are updated.
-Strong aftershocks continue to shake the area.
-Tsunami waves as high as 25 feet hit towns along the eastern seaboard of northern Japan.
-Thousands have been displaced from the tsunami.
-Hundreds of buildings and homes have been destroyed.
-Tsunami warnings have been issued for more than 50 countries throughout the Pacific region including Hawaii and the west coast of the USA. Most countries are reporting no damage.
-More than four million people are reported to be without power.
-Communication services are down throughout northern Japan.
-All public commuter services have been halted for the time being.
-Tokyo is reported to be in a state of gridlock.
-The earthquake was felt as far away as China.
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Remember, the power is out, so they are unable to contact many in the hardest hit areas.
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"We have heard from several of our friends in Yokosuka (south of Tokyo/Yokohama), where we lived, and they are fine, although there is some damage. They say the earthquake lasted 5 minutes and felt like it would not stop shaking. They speak of the Military Base pool (which is on the 2nd floor of the gym) leaking due to cracks and flooding down the stairs. Friends who had evacuated on Base to the highest hillsides spoke of seeing an explosion across the bay (near Tokyo) of a refinery of some sort. We have friends who are stuck at the airport where the shaking lasted for 30 minutes. Everyone was evacuated from Narita Airport out onto the tarmac to wait. My husband has been able to talk to several people in Japan via phone even though the news reports cell phones are out all over Japan. Our friends in Yokosuka have said they have felt at least 65 aftershocks so far...
I also read a couple of posts from friends on a military base in Misawa (100 miles or so north of Sendai) who report being in the dark, but ok.
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"We have just experienced a large earthquake here in Tokyo. It is probably related to the one in Northern Japan a couple of days ago. I have heard that this one measured 8.8-9.2, and the first wave went on for more than 20 minutes. It would subside and then go again. There seems to be a little damage at the office, but nothing critical. Both Wade and I and everyone at the office are fine, a little frightened, but fine.
"We have had one good aftershock, unless it never stopped in the first place. It has been nearly an hour now, and things are still not quite steady. We were able to get beneath the desks, so all is well. Any further news, and we will let you know as soon as we can. I'm not sure that the Internet is working, but I will try to send this anyway.
"We are now home at 6:30 and still have aftershocks, but more in the 5 range. We are fine. Disneyland has 1' of water from the tsunami.
"We are really ok. Just shaken, literally and figuratively, but alright.
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LINKS:
· http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/60636/45-missionaries-in-Japan-coming-home-early.html
· http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/d058dca5c41c4e14b9ac55024bc20c37/UT--Utah-Missionaries-Japan/
· http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_utah_missionaries_japan.html
· http://www.theblaze.com/stories/evolution-watch-the-japanese-tsunami-travel-from-sea-to-countryside/
· http://www.theblaze.com/stories/see-footage-of-the-moment-the-8-9-quake-hit-japan/
· http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2011/03/11/updates-on-japan-and-the-tsunami/
· http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14700413
· http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm
Please Donate through a safe Humanitarian Aid source, like the Red Cross. I would suggest donation to the LDS Humanitarian Services.
