This month's devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan has created "a powerful sense of dread and fear" among many in the country, a former Squamish resident who now lives in Japan told The Chief on the weekend.
Wayne Jackson, who ran a boxing gym in Squamish from 1995 to 2000, now teaches English and runs a boxing gym in Nagoya, about 500 kilometres from the epicenter of the March 11 earthquake, he wrote in an email on Sunday (March 20).
While the magnitude-9.0 earthquake was felt in Nagoya, damage to buildings there was minimal and everyday life has been largely unchanged by the disaster, Jackson wrote. Still, there have been a number of aftershocks, and there's a strong sense of foreboding among the population, he wrote.
"Daily routines in my area are pretty much unchanged," he said. "People are going to work and school as usual. However, everyone has been fixated on the news and many people are preparing for the 'next big one.' A lot of essential items are in high demand and low supply as people stockpile items they feel they would need if a similar earthquake hit this area.
"There has been a powerful sense of dread and fear in the faces and voices of everyone since last week. People are worried about what is happening and what will happen next."
Jackson, who has lived in Japan for the past 10 years, said he has experienced a number of natural disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis, during his time in Japan. This one, though, has definitely affected people's sense of invulnerability to a greater degree than in those in the past.
"I think the biggest difference about this disaster is that this one has broken through to many peoples' mindset that 'it won't happen to me,'" he wrote. "Perhaps this is true not only for Japanese people but for people around the world.
"While this disaster is not nearly on the scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami, this disaster has happened to Japan, a rich, powerful and technically advanced country. I think this one may be affecting many people's sense of invincibility."
Jackson wrote that he was heartened to see people in Canada, including those in Squamish, organize fundraisers in support of victims of the disaster. He added that he has a vacation planned from Sunday (March 27) to April 3 and that he was considering using that time by volunteering his services to help out in the disaster area in the northeastern portion of Japan's main island, Honshu.
He wrote that while he wasn't sure whether more volunteer help was being sought, "I am considering heading north with some tools, equipment and supplies to try to be of assistance."
