Tuesday March 15 – A Journey Home

Yasue heard the road to her house was clear and decided she would try driving as that would allow her to bring more back. She took the 7-mile drive, unsure of what she would find. It took a couple of hours but she made it and to our surprise, the house was still standing and was structurally sound enough to enter. There were broken dishes everywhere and virtually every shelf was cleared. The TV however still stood on its stand. When Yasue turned it on, she was amazed to learn she had electricity. Her neighbors said it comes and goes as there are rolling blackouts. They also share it would be at least a month before the natural gas is turned back on. She spent the day cleaning and then gathered up her valuables – some food, money, passport, blankets, clean clothes. The food of course was the most important thing but fresh clothes were a close second. She’d been wearing the same thing since the quake hit 5 days earlier. She then returned to her mom in the hospital in Sendai City.

A friend at the Associated Press is working to see if their correspondents on the ground can help. He is also providing valuable information.