The local media reported a heart-rendering story of an old woman living alone with her poodle. She was soaked up to her neck in water for hours before the rescue squad found her. She had placed the poodle out of harms way by lifting her above her head. Alas her feeble arms could not withstand the cold and fatigue and when her hand slipped the old dog fell into the water. The old woman immediately scooped the dog back up again but according to her, after getting soaking wet the dog began to shake and did not survive the ordeal. “I feel so guilty about not being able to save my poor dog . . . she was too old.”

The local media also reported running into a man walking through the rubble. He said he was looking for his wife . . . and when the reporter looked again a small Chihuahua was peeking out from under his overcoat. “I ran as fast as I could with him and the cat, but the cat got lost in the turmoil . . .”  were his words. This little dog may be the only family he has left.

The people and the animals need your help.

Currently the only official rescue work is being conducted by the disaster response team formed jointly by the Japan Veterinary Medical Association, the Japan Animal Welfare Society, the Japan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Japan Pet Care Association. The latter groups are the largest animal welfare charities in the country and are connected to local veterinary associations. The aim of the team is to shelter as many animals as is possible near the area by recruiting the help of local vet clinics that are still functioning. They also need to prepare facilities and supplies for the great number of refugees flowing into neighboring areas as most people have fled without much preparation.

This will be a long and uphill battle for everyone but the core team is determined to do what they can and to persevere till the end. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Below is the account number for the Japan Animal Welfare Society that has been put in charge of channeling foreign support for the animals here on behalf of the aforementioned disaster response team. We are sorry that the account is with a Japanese bank which may make it difficult for some to access. We are understaffed and have not been able as of yet to set up a payment system using web money. Once it is completed we will notify you immediately.

Thank you for your kindness and we thank you on behalf of the animals of Japan.

"The Great Earthquake" was written by Keiko Yamazaki, who is the 'voice of TTouch' in Japan.  Literally.  She has been the translator for TTouch classes from the beginning.  She also does Lauren McCall’s  rabbit workshops.  Keiko is very well connected with animal welfare in Japan and has written many parts of the animal welfare laws.  

Keiko sent this message to Lauren and to international organizations:

1. There are a large number of refugees fleeing the area and coming into either the metropolitan area by car and Rail where they are still running. The Tokyo Vet Med Association has agreed to open up their hospitals to foster the animals of these refugees . . . there are hundreds of them that have run with their animals. These refugees are also entering the Sea of Japan side as road access is better. Niigata prefecture is currently moving to open up their prefectural animal control center to house the pet of those people who cannot keep them for the moment . . . here again I hear there are more than a thousand people who have entered the prefecture since the quake. I am currently in the process of opening up a supply center in a local vet tech school so that these refugees may receive whatever they need for their animals.

2. The Ministry of the Environment is currently negotiating fiercely with the central government to secure space in the Official emergency supply vehicles . . . the only ones that will be allowed entry into the disaster area. This will most likely be possible;  therefore the Japan Pet Care Association, one of the 3 biggest charities that has the largest floor space, will very soon be announced as the official destination of all charity supplies for animals. From here the supplies can be loaded onto the official vehicles for transport into the relevant areas. NO ONE else can get in to help . . . please make this clear. The housing and sheltering issues will come up in the not-too-distant future but for now this is the ONLY way we as private citizens can help.

Japan Veterinary Medical Association
Japan Animal Welfare Society
Japan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Japan Pet Care Association

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We all ran out of the barn, staff members bringing horses with them.  My group sat on the ground and I grabbed a tree.  Very soon I realized the tree wasn’t going to keep me on my feet and joined my group with our arms outstretched on the ground.  I can tell you that a 9.0 magnitude earthquake is really huge.

When it finally stopped, we moved the horses out to the pastures where they would be safe – they just seemed happy to be back out on the grass - and everyone began making calls and sending messages to check on family and let them know we were OK.  We felt very fortunate that we were in such a safe place, away from glass and walls that could fall.  This was a great time for me to remind people about doing some Ear Work.  Everyone had shaky legs for a while, so we finished the day doing some TTouch Body and Groundwork between people.  Python Lifts and Octopus were really helpful.

When our organizer came to pick us up we learned that there had been significant damage to the place we were staying, the trains weren’t running and the highways were closed.  Power was out everywhere.  It looked like the best choice was to spend the night at the stable.  This is a beautiful place with the nickname Wow Farm after how many times I said “Wow!” the first time I saw it.

I went with our organizer to get a few of my things and was surprised to see the damage at the house were I usually stay.  I was so happy I wasn’t there when the earthquake happened!  (I’ve included some photos of the house)

We stopped at a convenience store to get some food and I was so impressed with what I saw.  The store was dark except for one light over the counter and the functioning cash register.  People parked at the store were leaving their headlights on to put a little light into the store.  Customers were lined up half way around the store waiting to pay for their purchases.  How often would we see people calmly waiting in line for perhaps 20 minutes in this type of emergency?  It is a lesson for us all in helping each other and being calm in a crisis.

We spent the night in the stable’s lovely reception area with blankets and the wood stove keeping us warm.  A door was left open to we had an exit from the building.  The staff offered us hot soup and we tried to get some rest.  I was calling it the horse workshop slumber party except there was very little slumber.  There were many aftershocks and we kept jumping up to run outside.  They are called aftershocks but many of them were very strong.  I was thankful for my iPhone and the fact that I could charge it with my computer.  This became my best source of information about the quake and tsunami and for keeping in touch with people.

The next day we moved to a hotel to wait for the trains or highway to be available.  I canceled the Intermediate Horse Workshop that was supposed to start that day as it was so difficult to travel and people wanted to stay close to home.  We were watching the TV and my interpreter was telling me pieces of what was happening.  I was so thankful she was there to help me understand the news reports.  This is when we learned that the nuclear power plant was having trouble.  As we were 60 miles from the reactors I decided it was important for us to move.  Lauren was now in Tokyo and was working on booking flights for us to leave.  I just needed to get there in time.  With important help from friends we were able to drive to a city with local trains running and travel to Tokyo.  Early in the morning on March 14th we flew home.

I was sorry it became necessary for us to leave.  I had to cancel the TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner Training as well as 3 other workshops.  It was clear that we had no choice but to postpone them.  I am looking forward to the time when we will continue with these events.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent me messages and made calls of love and support during this time.  It touched me very deeply.  Please continue those positive thoughts and support for the Japanese people and animals who continue to struggle in this triple disaster.  I am happy that our Japanese TTouch group is safe and doing OK, working to help others.

Will you take a moment to contribute what you can to help the Japanese people and their animals?  Many people are in shelters with their animals and need our support as they deal with this crisis and begin recovery.

I am often asked what it’s like working with people in so many different countries and I always say that people who care about their animals are the same no matter where they live.  We really are one family.

Thank you and best wishes to you all,
Debby

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Eventually the pilot came back on after an hour or so and said Narita and Haneda (airport in Tokyo itself) were closed and that we were being diverted to Nagoya.  After flying towards Nagoya we were diverted towards an American Air Force base in northern Honshu.  So we headed north.  Then it was announced that we were being cleared to land in Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. We finally set down in Sapporo.  The only way the passengers had to get information was cell phones.  I got a text message from my friend Raelene in Australia (a TTouch Practitioner) that let me know things were very serious.  After 9 hours on the tarmac, we were taken off the plane and into the terminal building; it’s now 2:30 am (we were due to land in Tokyo at 3:30 the previous afternoon).

The terminal was closed.  No food or water except vending machines with water.  Thankfully I had Japanese money.  My first thought however was to rush around and find a power source for my phone and laptop.  No one was giving us any information about what was happening.  Thankfully the terminal had Wi-Fi so I was able to figure out what was going on.  I kept in touch with friends and family via text message and email.  I am very grateful for technology and will never travel without a cell phone in the future.

Almost all of the airports in Japan were closed.  There was no way off the island; the only option was to wait.  And wait.  And wait.  After 7 hours the restaurants opened up.  We had not eaten in some time and this was most welcome.  By 12:30 we heard that we might be able to fly out at 7:00 pm.  But then again, maybe not.  I had wandered into the domestic terminal and figured out that the domestic airlines were starting to fly into the Tokyo airports.  The Delta flight that would eventually leave would be Narita bound.  Trouble was, there were 20,000 people stranded at Narita.  The trains and buses that normally carry people to and from Narita were not running.  Roads were closed so even if you were willing to pay the $250 or so to get into Tokyo by taxi, you couldn’t.   

I got on Skype and contacted friends in Tokyo.  Kazumi (Kat) Shoji (who is in the US TTACT program) was able to get on-line and buy me a ticket leaving from Sapporo to Haneda city airport for later that afternoon.  From Haneda I could get to a bus terminal near them and they could pick me up.  That worked perfectly and I was finally with friends, and able to shower!   I was also able to access TV and saw the scope of the devastation from the earthquake and the tsunami.

My plan at that point was to stay in Tokyo until the aftershocks settled down.  While I had cancelled some of my work projects, I had time to wait until the Hiroshima leg of my trip, which included a lecture to 200 people and 33 private clients.  Then the nuclear crisis began to unfold.  That was an entirely different story.  At the urging of friends and family I began to make plans to leave.  I wanted to wait for Debby Potts who was working about 60 miles from the reactor.  Debby managed to make her way to Tokyo.  I called the US and got us a flight out from Haneda (still no way to get to Narita) the next day (March 14).  It was a wacky way to get to Portland via Detroit, and then Minneapolis, but it was a way out.  Of the 96 hours I was away 40 of them were spent in airplanes, over 14,200 miles.

Since my arrival home on Monday, I have been focused on keeping in touch with friends in Japan, many of them in the TTouch Practitioner Training or the TTouch Rabbit Associate Program.  I am also working to raise money for animal rescue work that is being set up there.  I have spent 2 months of every year in Japan for the last several years and feel close ties there.  The place where I often work and my primary sponsors are 60 miles from the Fukushima reactor.  They are currently caring for 180 animals with limited staff and food.  A few of my friends have left Japan, but very few.  Most of them are in Tokyo or western Japan.  I am grateful for that.

The Japanese people are strong, resilient and proud.  They will come through the earthquake and tsunami devastation.  They can rebuild.  The nuclear crisis is, of course, another matter.  I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work with such committed and caring people in Japan and I pray that things will resolve themselves swiftly.  I will continue to do what I can to help my friends and the fundraising efforts there.

I know that you will join me in sending your prayers (and your money if you can) to aid the people and animals suffering in Japan.

I have come away from this experience feeling blessed and grateful for my life, my family and friends (human and animal), and for the opportunity to do the work that I do.  Thank you for being a part of my life.

Lauren
3/17/11

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