When Japan experienced its largest earthquake in history March 11 followed by a 10-metre-high tsunami, there was no sleep for a week for a UNBC language instructor who could only wring her hands and hold onto hope that her family and close friends would survive.
"My brother Toshiaki [Ikeda] lived at Fukushima, only 50 kilometres from the nuclear reactors," said Hiroe Wood, a Japanese instructor in International Studies.
"My close college friend lived just north of Sendai where both the earthquake and tsunami hit. I feared the worst for her."
It took a week before Wood discovered her friend had survived and was safe.
"The tsunami reached within 100 metres in front of her house before it stopped. It was kind of like a miracle."
Her family members are also OK, but are facing hardships and an unforseeable future.
"They were confined to their house for a week due to the damaged reactors with no water and no transportation," said Wood. "For the first few days they had to line up for two to three hours for rations of bottled water and were allowed only 10 litres of gasoline for their car."
Her family members were able to leave the area only three days ago, and even that didn't evoke a sense of relief.
"They simply left everything behind, and loaded only necessary things and the family into the car and left," said Wood.
But at least there are less pressing worries.
"Now I can sleep a little," she said.
Wood said she was happy to learn Wednesday that relatives of all UNBC exchange and English Second Language students from Japan are safe, and all Japanese people known in Prince George are able to reach their families.
UNBC student Kiyono Arao said she was lucky that both her family and friends survived since they lived in an area farther away from the worst hit areas of earthquake and tsunami.
With immediate concerns eased, Arao turned her efforts to helping her Prince George friend, Diane Nakamura, whose heart was breaking at the news her 98-year-old grandmother, aunt and two cousins of Sendai were missing.
On March 20 Nakamura got a call saying her relatives are safe.
Although all three women feared watching news reports from Japan, they still felt driven to help their fellow countrymen as much as possible, just as other small clusters in Prince George in the same boat.
So they've all joined together to form a Prince George Saves Japan committee to do fund-raising events to help the people of Japan by way of the Canadian Red Cross.
HOW TO GIVE
Mr. P.G. will soon hoist the Japanese flag to remind the public of the great need to help.
Events include:
March 25 - Benefit concert featuring Standeven and the Falldowns at Days Inn Hotel from 7 p.m.
March 26 - Fund raising at Pine Centre Mall from 1 to 4 p.m.
March 27- Fund Raising at Pine Centre Mall from 1 to 4 p.m.
March 28 - Teen for Japan concert at 8 p.m. at Artspace.
The committee's first weekend of fundraising March 19 and 20 raised about $45,000, said Wood who appreciates every gesture of support.
Donation boxes are located at Sushi Factory SENDO, Immigration and Multicultural Services, UNBC, CNC, and University Hospital. For more information call 250-964-6771, toll free 1-888-257-6955 or e-mail: [email protected]
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