Jishin - Kobe, 1995

What I can remember. 95.1.17 5:46 a.m.

Awoke, darkness, just enough light to see room being tossed around. I remember the anger, like a demon grabbing me and shaking. Up on all fours, grabbed flashlight. Saw glasses on floor, put them on. Pants on, into kitchen, things piled up a foot deep. Maybe at this point it stops shaking, not sure. Climbed over kitchen table to get to entryway, opened door, stuck something to keep it from closing. Back into kitchen, push kitchen table over on its side to get through, into computer room to get Blue Box (blue, steel tool box with passport, important papers, valuables). Heavy oak computer desk fallen over. Everything down. Can't see the monitor. Dig for Blue Box. Find it and pull it out. Back into kitchen to turn off water heater, shut off gas valve. Back to entryway, grabbed TFW's leather jacket, hat, turned off breakers. Out the door with flashlight, BlueBox, down one flight of stairs to outside.

In front of me a four-story apartment building (fairly new) is at 45 degree angle away from me and hangs over Hankyu railroad tracks on the other side. Dimly saw two people outside on their 2nd floor balcony looking down at me, say something, they say something. Smell of gas very strong. Building next to mine collapsed.

Down the street to get away from wires and falling glass. Maybe 200 yards to the bus and taxi area in front of the train station. More gas smell. Roads are broken. A few cars scrap and grind over them. Some people are gathering near the phone booths. Old lady is yelling "Tasukette! Tasukette kudasai!" (Help me! Help me please!) from somewhere up in the 16-or-so-story apartment/department store building accross the street.

Back up to the apartment, gas smell stronger. Yell up to the people who live on the fourth floor of my apartment. Mr. Yoda answers, comes down the stairs, says they are OK, he has told his three children and wife to stay inside. He is going down to check on his restaurant and the some of his relatives who live very close by. Go with him a ways but then go back to the train station to call LDO. Tell LDO to call Tracey, give him the number of her hotel in Alabama, and every one else to say I'm OK. Next person in line (30ish businessman) bangs angrily on the door and tells me to get off the phone.

After that, wandering about: sitting in front of the station in the sun, down the road to look at the damage, back to the apartment several times--a few minutes at a time at first, then longer--to get change collection (about $1000 in yen), more clothes, wallet, food, bottle water, guitar; try to pick up. Time goes fast, goes slow. Can't remember very long sequences, just patches. Spent one night there. Woke up about 4 times, aftershocks.

As for now, I am staying in Ozaki, a ways south of Osaka. They got about a 4 down there, as did Osaka. They tell me we got the full 7.2 where I was in Shukugawa (western part of Nishinomiya). Most of what you may have seen on TV is within 20 minutes of our apartment. I can't get to work until they fix the trains.

My normal work place is a stones throw (maybe 2 miles) from the epicenter. I will be able to see if from my office when I get back there. The building is still standing and people close by are back to work. I will telecommute from an Osaka office until 2/3. Not sure after that.

I have been back twice to bring instant cup ramen, batteries, flashlights, 5-gallon water carriers and such to the Yoda family and their relatives. They (1 grandma, two sets of parents, 5 children) are now all up stairs in the 4th floor apartment. There is electricity and telephone service, but no gas or water. I have lent them two of our electric space heaters to augment their own.

The closest train station is a few miles away. Many of the buildings are destroyed, especially older Japanese-style wooden buildings, but newer concrete buildings as well. All suffered some sort of damage. The elevated railroad to Nishinomiya looks more like a roller coaster. I will send the video and pix soon.

The aftershocks continue. Yesterday (Sunday) I was back to clean up some more. I'll probably spend one night this week there.

OK, gotta get back to work. Don't worry, cause I'm doing OK.

Love to all HTO