We arrived at Hakata Christ Church in Fukuoka at 4 am, and
after a short rest, gathered for an early morning breakfast and meeting before heading on the road.
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| Group picture in front of truck before heading on the road |
Traffic was horrendous, bottle-necked by closed
expressways. It took over 4 hours to reach Harvest Church in downtown Kumamoto, which had opened doors to be a gathering
place for supplies and information.
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| Unloading supplies from our truck |
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| Organizing supplies at Harvest Church in Kumamoto |
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| Fukuda-san confirming destination with locals |
We
made a plan and headed around the city in two groups, seeing damage along the way: Cracked roads and sidewalks, broken glass, collapsed
fences and buildings, and fallen kawara (clay roof tiles).
The most symbolic destruction were the fallen walls of Kumamoto Castle, one of the top three
castles in Japan.
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| Fallen wall blocking road |
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| This apartment building fell by one floor, crushing cars beneath. The earthquake happened in the middle of the night when everyone was home. I can't imagine trying to flee from a falling building... |
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| Another apartment building that fell one floor |
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| Fallen wall around Kumamoto Castle |
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| Fallen wall and tower around Kumamoto Castle |
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| Broken entranceway |
“People
are scared,” Minami-san told us, leading a shelter of 300 at Kumamoto Keiryo Junior High School. His voice was barely audible from constant talking and yelling. “They don’t feel safe in their homes at night, and come here looking
for rest and sleep.” As he was talking, a medium-sized tremor shook the ground,
rattling windows around us. “Everyone away from the glass!” he yelled in a cracked voice, and everyone did.
Once
calm was restored, we continued. “What are your biggest needs?”
we asked. “We do not need supplies. We need ways to calm people.” He talked
about exercise programs and other ideas, but lit up when he heard I was a
musician. “Yes, THAT is what is we need most right now!” It was very moving for me to hear him say that. In a disaster, people need food, water, and shelter. They need
clothes to stay warm. But people also need art and music!
Deciding what to do next. More to follow...
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| Sunday night April 17 outside Kumamoto Keiryo Junior High (Photo by Minami-san) |
