I have been having a really hard time adjusting now that I am back in the States.  My sleep cycle has been disrupted mercilessly, allowing me to sleep four hours a night, an occasional 6 here, or a 7 there, but never enough.  So what do I do with my sleepless nights like this one?  I scour the internet for facts and stories about what is going on back in a country I had to leave.

Here is my routine:

Check for email from Dustin (every couple of days I get a brief word about how he is doing aboard the USS GW)

Read Facebook pages for the USS GW, 7th Fleet, and Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka for new information about what is happening with the ships that are not actively on recovery and support relief missions

Read all CNN articles pertaining to the crisis in Japan, that are updated or new (ignoring the backlash about “oh what if it happens here BS”)

Read all current information and updates done by the IAEA (the atomic energy counsel, watchdog for the UN) for accurate statistics about what the radiation is doing (this is never great news, but honest and unbiased)

After completing this circle of internet wonderment (so much information available at my fingertips), I get a small grasp of what is going on in this part of the world.  No wonder I can’t sleep, the news is intense, but at least I am able to be grateful for the small luxuries that I get to live in.  

Here are some updates:

Tens of thousands evacuees won’t be able to return home for months.  Just reading the title of this CNN article makes me tear up.  These are not those displaced from the tsunami and earthquake damage, this is from the area surrounding the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant.  They can’t go home for months, and have already involuntarily been exposed to harmful, dangerous, sustained radiation levels.  This poor community has been left stranded for the time being.

As of today, there are a total of 11, 532 fatalities (up 400 from yesterday) and 16, 351 people (down 150 from yesterday) missing. I can’t even begin to imagine entire towns, schools, and communities just gone.  My heart aches for this tragedy.

Updates from the Fukushima plant:

Units 5 and 6 are in total shutdown.  For the remaining units, freshwater is being pumped and they are working on a system to remove the contaminated water in order to continue the cooling process.  The radiation levels seem to have settled down a bit, but fishing off the coast remains banned (for up to 30km), and some leafy vegetables in 8 prefectures remain inedible.  The rates of radiation continue to decrease since the March 23rd peak.

Narita airport, 3/18: the crowds

There were Japanese people camped out with their families and crowds got more and more dense as the day went on.

Number of dead and missing is now 16,600

Rush to deliver humanitarian aid to evacuees and survivors

Government introduces emergency plan to address fuel shortage

World Bank initial loss estimates between US$15 billion and $35 billion

Japan raises nuclear alert level to 5 at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

Source: Center of International Disaster Information

There is a voluntary evacuation for all military bases in Japan right now.  I think what I am finding hardest dealing with, now that I am back, is the Japanese and international community that lives and works there.  I left behind friends, and now they are watching a big part of their commerce leave because of the voluntary evacuation.  Last night, I couldn't help but finally cry as I watch TEPCO authorities break down in tears while talking about the Fukushima nuclear plant and its current levels of radiation.  It has been such a long week for me, and I hadn't really stopped to process and really absorb with the emotional side affects of what I have gone through.  

While talking to my friend, Jodie, I realized I hadn't processed everything emotionally because information was given sporadically from conflicting outlets, I was going-going-going to wrap up lose ends, say good bye to my friends and favorite restaurants and the families that run them, and to pack quickly and efficiently for me and Dustin.  I am incredibly level headed in emergency situations and am quick to devise a plan.  I tried to make sure Allie was having a decent time despite blackout threats and inconsistent trains.  I had to make sure I could change my flight, get to the airport, and to pack in the midst of an enforced blackout.  I was so thankful to have a sliding glass door to a porch so that I could have some daylight, and when that became scarce, I visited my "brother", Kenei, at his bar that was open and lit only by candlelight.  But, now, I am home and what is happening there is STILL happening. There is still crazy information being poured from all different directions, and the bottom line stays consistent: the number of dead and missing is still rising and there is ever growing radiation levels.  All of this information slapped me right in the face and I finally had to cry. Families are being separated through voluntary evacuation of military bases, and there is an unknown of when and where their loved ones might be.  Dustin included.  I know he is safe and working around the clock to be ready to move at any given moment, but there is uncertainty of where that final destination is and how long it will be before I am able to talk to or see him.  

As I wait to hear the Navy press release at 8:30am, I am ready to move forward. I know what I need to do, and I can feel my call to action.  Stay tuned, I am on a mission.

This is my final post from Japan.

The Navy has now made public that they are suggesting voluntary evacuation from Japan, and are helping military and civilian employee’s families find flights. I was able to call United Airlines and move my flight up to today.  They are showing their support by allowing people who have standing flights to change them for free, and I was lucky to find an available flight.  I can’t believe how quickly everything has shifted and I am still at a loss to describe the pain and destruction in the people’s faces.  I still don’t know how to describe how calm and civil everyone is to each other while they wait for news and services.  I can’t imagine anything like this happening in the States in the midst of panic and the unknown.  It just doesn’t seem probable.  However, what I have learned is that, in the face of chaos, people bond together.  It is this sense of community that I feel compelled to want to help, nurture, and actively be a part of.

Please donate to a relief organization that helps to find loved ones, pets, and piece together homes and temporary living situation amongst debris.   Global Giving is trying to raise 2million and are VERY close to that goal.  They are recommended by the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Time.  Click the picture to give.  Red Cross is doing relief work. So is UNICEF, Save the Children, and there are endless options and people ready to get into the thick of it, and help.  The situation here is still very uncertain, and very scary for the people who live here.   While I am returning home, there are hundreds of thousands of individuals who don’t have homes.  I am reminded of how fortunate I am that I am in a position to help.  You too can help Japan rebuild. 

My thoughts:  Are you for real?  There is NO reason to compare tragedies.  What has happened in Japan is a FREAK, natural disaster that has destroyed a half million people’s homes.  HALF MILLION.  Those are people who had loved ones, literally slip through their fingers while racing to higher ground.  These are people who have bonded together to help stay warm in snowy conditions, and to persist in crisis.  

Philanthropy trends have shown that the first four day total of donations to Japan relief funds have amounted to 25 million dollars.  While this is a lot of money, it is no where near the amount that poured in for Haiti or Katrina aid.  We care.  We care a lot, so go do something about it.

sallysparrow:

g4l:

fuckyeah-kesha:

feeling guilty

 People DO care, it’s just that it isn’t new or shocking.

Why does one tragedy have to be compared to another? You’re not making any kind of point, except trying to devalue the lives of those killed in Japan. And there ARE people who care, so shut the fuck up.

In the midst of all the earthquake talk, I want to share a highlight of Allie’s trip here.

Yesterday, we walked to Nobori Gumo onsen.  The onsen here is such a unique, and detoxing experience of relaxation.  Since Allie and I have been at the mercy of earthquakes, potential blackouts, unreliable transportation, and a general sense of being stranded in Yokosuka, she and I were able to put all of that aside and take a few hours to just sit, relax, and get scrubbed down. 

Onsen is a term for the local hot springs that pipe up from underground that the locals have been indulging in for centuries.  These hot springs provide innumerable benefits to the skin through sweating out toxins and conditioning.  It’s one of the reasons, I believe, the Japanese have such beautiful, glowing, healthy skin.  

Allie and I enjoyed a few hours of peace including a wonderful massage that was more chiropractics than rubdown, and a body scrub that made places smooth I didn’t know could be.

Soaking in the indoor hot spring, overlooking nature, was a heaven-sent gift.  Coupled with four other pools made out thick, cozy wood, or a natural rock spring, or a brisk cold dip in another clay tablet pool, all of the tension, suspense, anxiety I have felt seemed to melt away.  I felt relaxed and calm.

On the walk home, Allie and I were talking about how powerful the detox was.  In a mere few hours, we both were able to slip into zen and forget about how terrible all the destruction was here, and care for our minds.  We forgot about the stress of finding Allie a way to the airport on limited trains, and we forgot about the nuclear stress.  Granted all of those things made a way back into my thoughts, but I still feel restored and levelheaded again.  It will be ok.  Humanity is considerate and cooperative.  Especially here.  Japan is love.

frolicwit:

(katelizabeth)

JAPAN’S ANIMALS NEED HELP, TOO!

For each person who ‘likes’ the Facebook Page of Dog Bless You, a dollar will be donated to help finance the use of search and rescue dogs that are so critical in disaster situations like what’s happening in Japan right now. You can also donate to Animal Refuge Kansai, the American Humane Association, The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, or World Vets. Japan Cat Network, together with Heart Tokushima and Animal Friends Niigata has formed Japan Animal Rescue and Support.

It was thought that Cat Island had been completely submerged, but there’s been an update saying that the cats and people on Tashirojima are okay, however, they have a lot of building damage and are in need of necessities for both humans and cats.

PLEASE REBLOG!

Reblogging myself because this is important to me.

Please don’t just ‘like’ this post — reblog it and help spread the word — and donate!

Here are some more links aimed at helping animals in Japan:

+ SPCA International
+ Animal Miracle Foundation is collecting cell phones to send to volunteers helping animals.
+ Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support Facebook group.
+ For news about Cat Island (Tashirojima), please see There is Hope for Cat Island.
+ Update on Pet Rescue Efforts in Japan.

(Many thanks to The Conscious Cat for the initial list and photo.)

For each person who ‘likes’ the Facebook Page of Dog Bless You, a dollar will be donated to help finance the use of search and rescue dogs that are so critical in disaster situations like what’s happening in Japan right now. You can also donate to Animal Refuge Kansai, the American Humane Association, The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, or World Vets. Japan Cat Network, together with Heart Tokushima and Animal Friends Niigata has formed Japan Animal Rescue and Support.

It was thought that Cat Island had been completely submerged, but there’s been an update saying that the cats and people on Tashirojima are okay, however, they have a lot of building damage and are in need of necessities for both humans and cats.