After the Earthquake – Part 2
This is an archive post from my old blog. I’ve put this series here for others that may still be interested and so that I don’t forget…
I’m sorry this blog is not running in order, I’m updating it as I write it, and since I only started it today I wanted to include today’s thoughts while they were still fresh.
Tuesday 15th March 2011 – Day four
I managed to sleep the whole night on the futon, which was the first time in a few days. We were woken when the building made a jolt at about 5am during an aftershock, but I was able to get back to sleep. I’d like to think it’s because I’m becoming more immune to them now…but I have a feeling it has more to do with the bottle of red wine I drank last night.
After waking up the first thing I did was to turn on the TV, but it’s becoming a little more difficult each day because you have no idea what the news will be, and almost always it’s worse than when you went to bed. I sometimes feel that I would rather not know, just so life can be normal again for a little while, but it’s better to know. The reactor roulette wheel threw up reactor number 3 today. And as an added bonus there was an explosion which may have damaged the reactor container, but of course they don’t really know at the moment. There is so much speculation that they may as well bring in a team of fortune tellers as they would stand as good a chance as any to get right exactly what is happening at the plant.
It’s payday today so I have to venture to the bank. The high level of radiation at the plant shouldn’t trouble Tokyo they say, but I’m taking no chances wrapping up to cover as much exposed skin as possible. As I leave the house I look like a laundry basket that grew legs and can walk around.
On my trip out I was almost able to score some toilet paper (everywhere sold out) but I was a little too late, a little old lady beat me to the last pack. She looks at me as if she will fight me for it, so I figure her need must be far greater than ours.
I head back and take a shower, I’m taking no chances now, and spend the rest of the day pottering around the apartment, trying my best to ignore the TV coverage, but it’s not easy. I just wish this reactor situation could get sorted out. Most of all it means those up north are not getting all the help they could. And as freaked out as we are here, they have far more to contend with after the Tsunami as well as having the knowledge that if a big radiation leak occurs they will be the first ones hit. I’m not sure I could live with that thought, and I realise how insignificant my worries are in comparison.
Once it begins to get dark we wonder if we will get hit with power cuts. Luckily not today, but we use as little power as we can. There is little news of the reactors in the evening news, I’m really not sure if this is good or bad, but I have to tell myself its good regardless.
At about 10.20pm the earthquake sound rings on the TV. The NHK presenters start shaking along with the rest of us, if it wasn’t for the worried look on their faces I could easily think it was a comedy channel. The news is a magnitude 6 earthquake in Shizuoka. The TV says the good news is that the nuclear reactor there is unaffected and is functioning normally. I can’t believe my ears, any sensible person would have closed down the other reactors as precaution. I go into the kitchen and find myself another bottle of red wine…
