False Alarm

As everyone is aware, there was a huge earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Being in Hawaii, in the middle of the Pacific, that is a bad thing. That meant we had a tsunami warning.

About a year ago, the earthquake in Chile caused the same effect. Tsunami warning, sirens, cops kicking people out, closing the coastal roads. I spent the day at my friends' house on Schofield, watching and waiting for something to happen. In the afternoon, we finally got the all-clear, when it was apparent that instead of a tsunami, we got smaller than normal waves. Lame.

Last night/this morning was the same. Ashley called to tell me about the warning, but I wasn't too concerned. But once the sirens started going off and I saw the coverage of the tsunami in Japan, I decided to play it safe. So I packed some clothes and uniforms and headed to Schofield to stay at Jim and Wendy's. I finally fell asleep close to midnight, then about two hours later the phone calls and texts started. People at home were just getting up and seeing the news, and unfortunately AT&T had stopped working earlier in the night. So my family and friends were inundating me with panicked calls and text messages, waking me up at least every half hour. And then I had to go to PT and work at the normal time. Around 8, the Governor gave the all-clear.

Don't get me wrong--I'm glad Hawaii is practicing the right precautions. Obviously I ended up leaving my house, so I take it seriously. But the whole to-do is a bit annoying. I also appreciated the concerns for my well being, but I got no sleep last night (topping off a very sleepless week).

It's funny the things you grab when you have to "evacuate." I only took some clothes, toiletries, uniforms, and my computer. Most importantly, two of the items of clothes were the dresses I'm wearing for my brother's wedding weekend (rehearsal dinner and the wedding itself). You can see where my priorities are.

I talked to my stepmom during lunch, and I told her about the dresses. The funniest part about it all, was once my parents found out I was okay, she said, "We'll have to go out and get her a new dress!" My stepmom and I think a lot alike sometimes...

I know I've been really sarcastic about this whole situation, but PRAISE GOD for our safety. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us--God listened and protected us out here. Please continue to lift up Japan and the relief efforts that are just now starting.