The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Remembrance
Mood:  sad
January 17, 1995, at around 5am the earth shook and a huge disaster befell this city and surrounding areas. Masago area (my junior high) was not hit that hard but the apartment that I live in now is less than 9 years old because the old one came tumbling down that day. The northern part of Nishinomiya was in ruins, with many fires and scenes reminiscent of the last big San Francisco earthquake. Freeways collapsed, buses and trains were left hanging in thin air, and people were in shock everywhere. Many families slept in gyms just like the one we sat in this morning, where the students, teachers, and some parents spent some time remembering and saying some prayers for those who died and those who lost so much. My first graders were only 3 years old when this happened so they don't remember much. The third graders, I think, do remember, but not much because their homes were not damaged. The kids spent last week folding paper cranes in memory of the loss and, at the assembly today, they were displayed in long strands that will be delivered to a memorial shrine tomorrow on the anniversary of this sad event. Help came from all over the world and I have already seen two incredible monuments to say "thanks" for all the assistance that this area received in their time of need. One was the luminaria in Kobe that are displayed every year. I wrote about this last month. Also, I have seen an incredible "Sculpture of Hope" in Kobe that we saw on a hike in December.
It is humbling to think about how powerful nature can be and how vulnerable and fragile we really are. I count my blessings and give thanks for health, happiness and a roof over my head.