By Lisa Schick

Japanese earthquake brings shock to locals

Mar 11, 2011 | 11:05 AM

As shockwaves continue to hit Northern Japan, they’re also hitting here in Northern Saskatchewan.

Residents with ties to Japan are watching the news as the devastation unfolds.

Susan Matthews only moved back to Nipawin in the last month after spending the previous six months teaching English in Japan.

When she first found out about the disaster, Matthews didn’t think much of it because earthquakes are the norm there, but then she found out the level of the destruction.

“As I started to think about it and think about all the people I know (because) I know lots of people who live up North even though I was (living in the )South, and I was just going over in my head who all could be in danger right now. It was really kind of a shock and I kinda (felt) helpless,” said Matthews.

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Matthews said she knows other teachers who were living in Sendai, the major city closest to the quake’s epicentre, and hasn’t been able to find out if they’re okay, “I messaged them on Facebook but I haven’t received anything.”

She said those who she has been able to talk to are “pretty shook up.”

Matthews said on the one hand she is glad to be home and out of danger, but on the other hand she wishes she could be with her students.

“I had sixty students and I wish that I could be there, just as a voice of support or a voice of comfort (for) the people who do have family up north, and people who it is their long term country.”

The disaster is also being felt in Air Ronge.

Martin Green used to live in Japan with his wife and still has family there.

He spoke to his mother-in-law Friday morning, hours after the quake and tsunami struck. He said she is all right.

“She said that when it happened they first didn’t really know what was going on, (they) just felt dizzy.”

Green lived in Japan for 10 years and said earthquakes are a part of life there but are also a major fear for the Japanese people.

“When you feel the ground starting to move, sometimes you can hear it coming, you can hear the ground rumbling, the birds go quiet, usually it’s nothing that big, people just go about their business, they might pause (and) if it keeps moving, grows in intensity people dive under tables and in doorways,” said Green.

While the area where his mother-in-law lives, Nagoya, is far away from the northern coast where most of the devastation took place, they are feeling the effects of the damage there.

Most people use public transit in Japan, but Green said they are all shut down and the government is advising people to stay where they are and avoid travel, so many people are currently living at their offices.

The earthquake struck off the coast of Honshu at 2:36 p.m. Tokyo time, and triggered the tsunami that struck the northern coast of Japan soon after.

In Sendai, 200-300 bodies have been found and more are expected to be discovered as rescue and recovery efforts continue.

The quake measured an 8.9 on the Richter scale – the largest earthquake to hit Japan since records started being kept.

The quake was so large it triggered alarms as far away as California, Oregon and British Columbia.

Aftershocks continue to the hit the island nation, some as powerful as 6.0.

For more:

Japan rocked by massive earthquake, tsunami triggered

lschick@panow.com