A little girl stands in line with the rest of the people waiting for the second batch of water in Shiogama on Monday. David Hogsholt for CNN
I happened to see this the other day while I was reading more about the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan. As horrific as the earthquake and tsunami were, many people have been motivated to start or assess their own preparedness because of it. This is a good thing as being prepared can make an emergency a little easier on yourself and your family. Our family is constantly praying for everyone who has been affected and they have been in my thoughts as I go about my day. They are having similar weather to what we have right now and my heart hurts for those who are in the cold and struggling to stay sheltered and fed. Food, water and shelter continue to be scarce even this long since the disaster. And now they have the added concerns of radiation in the food and water that is available.
I just want to remind everyone about the importance of storing water and food.
"In many areas there is no running water, no power and four- to five-hour waits for gasoline. People are suppressing hunger with instant noodles or rice balls while dealing with the loss of loved ones and homes. "People are surviving on little food and water. Things are simply not coming," said Hajime Sato, a government official in Iwate prefecture, one of the three hardest hit.
. . . "I'm giving up hope," said Hajime Watanabe, 38, a construction industry worker, who was the first in line at a closed gas station in Sendai, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Soma. Just then, an emergency worker came over and told him that if the station opens at all, it would pump gasoline only to emergency teams and essential government workers. "I never imagined we would be in such a situation" Watanabe said. "I had a good life before. Now we have nothing. No gas, no electricity, no water." He said he was surviving with his family on 60 half-liter bottles of water his wife had stored in case of emergencies like this. He walked two hours to find a convenience store that was open and waited in line to buy dried ramen noodles."1
. . . "I'm giving up hope," said Hajime Watanabe, 38, a construction industry worker, who was the first in line at a closed gas station in Sendai, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Soma. Just then, an emergency worker came over and told him that if the station opens at all, it would pump gasoline only to emergency teams and essential government workers. "I never imagined we would be in such a situation" Watanabe said. "I had a good life before. Now we have nothing. No gas, no electricity, no water." He said he was surviving with his family on 60 half-liter bottles of water his wife had stored in case of emergencies like this. He walked two hours to find a convenience store that was open and waited in line to buy dried ramen noodles."1
How fortunate for them that Hajime's wife stored that water for a time such as this. What a blessing it has been to their family. It has been days since the disaster in Japan and still many areas don't have any relief supplies. In some remote areas there has not been contact because of impassable roads. We could be in a similar situation should we have an earthquake. The government may not be able to get relief supplies to us for days or weeks. Being prepared is up to you.
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