3/11

Gisteren heb ik de hele dag aan neef Jan Tenbruggencate gedacht.

Hij woont in Lihue op Kauai (Hawaii).

Vannacht had ik op Facebook even contact met hem:

Hi Ellen.

Let me try this in Dutch. Wij woonen op hoog grond. Alles is fijn. Our island had some damage, but nothing remotely like Japan's devastation. We are just suffering from lack of sleep, because there was much work to do before the waves arrived between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m.

 Vervolgens durfde ik te vragen (terwijl hij bekaf was) of hij een korte impressie kon geven van die chaotische, onzekere dag.

Jan is journalist en schrijver, dus die draait daar zijn hand niet voor om.

"We have been through this before. First reaction is a sigh.

A lot of hard work. Make sure your home is safe, or prepare to evacuate. If it's safe, make sure you have emergency supplies in case power, water, communications fail. Gas in the car, batteries, fill the bathtub with water for drinking. Call friends on the coast to be sure they know. Check with things for which you are responsible.

I serve on the board of directors of our electric company, so see what their needs are.  

The biggest physical job for me was to help our outrigger canoe club move a dozen 45-foot, 400-pound canoes, in the middle of the night, out of the danger zone. 

Meanwhile, staying alert to the progress of the series of waves across the Pacific. How big were they at Guam, how big at Wake Island, how big at Midway Atoll, and what are the deep-sea tsunami buoys reporting.

And finally, when the danger is past, assess the damage, review the emergency planning, and all the rest."

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