Fears for relatives in Japan after tsunami
2011-03-17
THE tsunami devastation in Japan was close to home for a family of Paarl, as they waited anxiously for more than 24 hours for word of their son who lives there. Last Friday morning, Louise Baard of Koppel Street was telephoned by her husband, Johan, and told to turn on the television immediately . “When I saw the images, I was horrified. Huge black waves were engulfing the coast of Japan, the home of my son Deon, daughter-in-law, Fumi, and grandchild, Neo (5).” Deon, an old Boys’ Higher, has been living in Japan for the past seven years, where he is a musician. He and his family live in the small port town of Sharå, on Hokkaido Island, north of where most of the destruction took place. “I was hysterical. My daughter Luzelle and I tried to contact Deon in every possible way, but we could not get hold of him.” Luzelle contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and was pleasantly surprised to find friendly, sympathetic staff who were prepared to assist them. They kept the Baard family informed till late on Friday evening about developments in Japan. And on Friday, more than 24 hours after news of the tsunami had reached the Baards, an employee of Foreign Affairs contacted them and told them that Deon and his family were fine. “We were so relieved,” said Louise. “We hadn’t slept all night and as the images of the devastation poured in, we feared for the worst.” Shortly after they received the good news, Deon phoned them, but was only able to talk for a very short period of time. The town in which Deon lives, was left miraculously unscathed by the giant waves. Sharå lies in a protected cove and the waves swept around this area, leaving the town intact. “Deon did however feel the terrible shudder of the quake. He said that they are so used to earthquakes, but when this one continued for longer than usual, he knew that something was wrong. When the tsunami warning sounded, they were evacuated to a shelter so quickly, that they could not even think about taking valuables with them.” Although her Japanese family is now safe, Louise still watches images of the tsunami devastation in horror. “There is still the fear of a possible disaster at a nuclear plant which could endanger my family. And perhaps because I have come to know more about Japan and its people, I am deeply saddened about what is happening there. I still sometimes find myself in tears while watching the images.”
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