What We Know Now

Great news! For the first time in almost a week, my mom was able to get through to Japan. Everyone is safe and at home. They did not have electricity until yesterday. My aunt Reiko, who we hadn't heard from, was also able to return home yesterday. Because they are on the coast and had suffered often from typhoon damage, they had rebuilt their house so that the living areas were above the garage. Even though there was flooding, their living areas were not under water. Not so for my cousin, Migumi, her house is still flooded.

My aunt Keiko, since they finally have electricity, is now able to get some heat from her kotatsu, which is a small heater mounted under the short table where they eat. It is covered with a thick blanket "tablecloth" in the winter and you sit with your feet under it, the cloth over your lap to stay warm. There is no water, so her son has been standing in line, up to four hours, to get water for them.

Not my fam, just a picture of a kotatsu. My aunt's house looks very similar to this, though.

They are about 7o miles north the actual Fukushima Reactor site. Thank goodness for Google Maps! Hopefully it won't get to the point where they have to evacuate again. Thank you all for your prayers for their safety. Please continue to pray that they are able to get food and water. We are so blessed that we lost no one in this tragedy, but I think that maybe we are the minority. I am sure that my family in Japan has lost a friend, a family member or a neighbor in the devastation. I can't imagine the heartache of living through such a tragedy.