Crisis in Japan

11 Pallet Town

4/4/11

Dear Jeremy,

I am terrified. Just a few hours ago, I was sitting at home and enjoying a nice hot bath. After coming out of the toilet, I went to take my breakfast. It was like the start of every normal day. Out of the blue, the house started to shake wildly. Over at my neighbour’s house, I could hear them screaming. I was rooted to the ground. Fear gripped me. My television fell to the floor with a deafening crash. Photo frames, plates and furniture were all toppling down. I quickly grabbed my phone and wallet from the table beside me and rushed out of the house. As I went out, the ground was still shaking vigorously. It was an earthquake. I saw several of my neighbours running out too. Suddenly, the tsunami alarm went off. Again, fear and panic seized me. Not far away, I could see a 10 meter tall wave charging towards Ofunato, our village. Immediately, my neighbours shouted at me to get to higher ground. I sprinted with all my might to the nearby park where a hill was 40 meters above ground level. As I reached the hill, safely above the flood waters, my heart came to rest. My neighbours and I stood there in both fear and shock. Down below, I could see several people being washed away by the tsunami. They were screaming hysterically for help. At that moment, my heart grew heavy and I finally realized how feeble life was. Our lives could be taken from us at anytime. Soon, rescue arrived within several hours.

The helicopter transported us the the Southern part of Japan where it was relatively safe. We had to stay in a stadium. It was very crowded and disorientated. Many people could be seen weeping over their loss of relatives. I feel very sad as my heart went out to them. Luckily, most of my relatives lived in the Southern part of Japan. As I sit here, stranded in this disaster and with nowhere to go, I write to you this letter expressing my feelings to you…

Yours sincerely,

Darren Lim