THE PENDULUM
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2011 // PAGE 7
ELON RESPONDS TO DISASTER IN JAPAN
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The earthquake, which struck March 11, also created a tsunami. Currently, concerns are being raised about the state of damaged nuclear plants.
Elon students
studying in
Japan safe after
8.9 magnitude
earthquake
Anna Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
The three Elon University students studying in
Japan are safe after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake
and tsunami struck the country, said Eric Townsend,
director of Elon’s News Bureau.
The five Japanese international students studying
at Elon all have reported their families are fine,
according to an e-mail sent by Smith Jackson, dean
of Student Life.
The Japanese media has reported that the quake
has killed thousands, and hundreds of thousands
more are left displaced.
Juniors Sarah Naiman, Dina Hilaris and Kenny
Tamres are studying at Kansai Gaidai University in
Osaka, Japan, 502 miles from Miyagi Prefecture, the
epicenter of the quake.
Naiman said she felt the earthquake on the fifth
floor of her apartment complex but was one of the few
in the area who did. Later in the night she learned
how serious the quake was.
She said she doesn't know anyone personally
affected by the disaster but there are students from
the area impacted. The students' classes have not
been distrupted, she said.
Senior Joe Siler studied at Kansai Gaidai last
semester.
He said he has sent out Facebook messages
checking on his Japanese friends.
“I sent out a massive message to my friends to see
how they are doing,” he said. “All the replies say they
are OK but one girl said her father is in Tokyo, so
she's worried about him."
The Elon Alumni Association updated its Facebook
page stating 2005 alumna Amy Jo Jenkins, the director
of aquatics at the U.S. Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan,
was all right and there were no damages.
“We are OK on Yokosuka base,” Jenkins' Facebook
message read. “No injuries that I heard of and no
major damage here.”
It is unknown how many alumni are currently in
Japan.
President Barack Obama called the disaster
a heartbreaking situation and the United States
would offer the Japanese government any assistance
needed.
“The main struggle is the loss of loved ones,” Siler
said. “It will take time to recover, but the deepest
part is the loss of friends and relatives for everyone
over there. My heart and prayers go out to them.”
There was a moment of silence at 10 a.m. at College
Coffee where three students from Japan spoke about
the crisis. A meeting was held later in the day to
brainstorm fundraising ideas.
Individuals can send a $10 donation to the relief
efforts in Japan through the Red Cross by texting
“Red Cross” to 90999.
Monitoring the Japan earthquake from afar
V r « mm'
Hope
lWli
CARTOON BY JUNKO AOYAMA
Junko Aoyama
Columnist
My name is Junko Aoyama. I’m a
sophomore broadcast journalism major
here at Elon. I'm also an international
student from Tokyo, Japan.
On March 11, a devastating 8.9
magnitude earthquake and tsunami
hit Japan, claiming more than one
thousand lives with countless still
missing. The Tohoku region was
damaged the most. The aftershock
tremors are still rocking Japan as I
write this.
The tsunami waves submerged
cities and forced many people to
evacuate to higher ground to avoid
being swallowed by the waves and
the fissured grounds caused by the
quakes. Many are without electricity,
running water and are low on food
and supplies. With only a blanket to
warm them in the cold Tohoku nights,
many are living in the dark facing
uncertainties, worried about their
homes, their missing family members
and losing sleep wondering when the
next aftershock tremor will come.
Electricity and phone lines are some
of the biggest issues surrounding
the quake. With many people trying
to contact their loved ones, from the
people in Tohoku to overseas family
members (like me), the lines became
all jammed up, increasing frustrations
and worries.
Many major networks and cell
phone providers are providing free
broadcasts of news channels and
Wi-Fi to assist everyone. Facebook
and Twitter became the main modes
of communication and spreading
information. Celebrities opened up
their blog comments sections and
Twitter accounts to assist people
reaching out to their loved ones.
The power reactors in the
Fukushima prefecture were also
damaged by the quake, leading to
power outages in many homes and
less distribution of energy. The
reactors also emitted some radioactive
substances, forcing many people in
proximity of the plant to evacuate to
avoid radiation poisoning. The power
plants are urging many people to
conserve as much power as they can
and will start administering periodical
blackouts to make sure the power goes
to those who need it the most.
My native Tokyo was also affected
by this earthquake, though not so
much compared to those in Tohoku.
Public transportation was halted until
late midnight, forcing 12,000 people
immobile until it was safe to travel
home. It was quite chaotic. Highways
were closed off, causing traffic jams
that lasted from three to eight hours.
1 know that in my K-12 school, the last
bus didn’t complete their route until
1:30 a.m. the next day.
My father was one of the 12,000
people in Tokyo who were rendered
immobile from their workplaces
because of the shutdown of public
transportation. He works inside a tall
skyscraper in the Tokyo bay area. He
was in his office with 19 co-workers
when the earthquake struck that
afternoon. Each worker hid under the
tables for protection, also wearing the
helmets and gloves provided by the
company.
Even after the first wave of the
earthquake ceased, the building
was still shaking slowly due to the
building's structure. Three hours
passed and the floor was still shaking.
Because some of the workers appeared
sick from the continuous shaking and
the roads seemed to be OK, my father
led the group outside and onto level
ground because it was no use staying
in the building.
Fortunately, a small restaurant
bar near the office was open and
took my father and his group in,
providing shelter and food until the
public transportation was back. When
the system was operating again, all
the workers were able to get home,
including my father, who reached the
house at around 2:30 a.m.. While most
of metropolitan Japan was in chaos.
I'm proud that even my father stayed
calm and took leadership of a group of
people relying on him.
All of my immediate family and
extended family members reside
in Tokyo and are currently safe. I
contacted my mom through Skype
Friday morning. Most of my friends I
know that are in Japan have told me
they’re safe, although some had to
spend the night in emergency shelters.
Despite this relieving piece of news,
I know there are thousands of other
families who aren’t as lucky as I am. In
fact, some of my friends have relatives
up in Tohoku.
It's been tough for me the last
couple of days. All I've been doing is
watching the Japanese news, contacting
people through Skype, Facebook and
e-mail and constantly praying that the
worst will be over soon. Watching the
nightmarish footage unfold in front of
me makes me sick to my stomach.
Even now, I feel like I don’t deserve
being at Elon and feeling safe when so
many people back home are feeling sad
and traumatized. Even though I'm not
going home for spring break, if 1 had
the money, I really want to go home
right now. Even with midterms coming
up, I have trouble concentrating or
studying. I hate feeling so powerless
and being so far away in this dire
situation.
To everyone who liked,
commented on my statuses and left
messages on my wall on Friday, thank
you all so much. It really meant a lot
to my family. They’re glad that there
are people out there who care about
what’s happening. I am grateful to be
a part of this Elon community.
Please keep Japan in your
thoughts and prayers. With all your
support, we can bounce back from
this tragedy and people can resume
their normal lives. It's going to be a
long process, but I know we will make
it eventually.