Wednesday, May 18, 2011 Blankets and Rescues and a Garage Worse than Mine

The last group up had brought up a load of bushi (relief supplies) including home-made blankets and hygiene kits, so Abi, Scott and Fumie went shopping to add vegetables to the mix. The rest of us drove to the new house to tackle some mud in the house and glass in the yard. It’s hard to believe this is my last day here.

In casting about for a location to visit today, Chad settles on the 2-story apartments where Peter almost lost his head April 14 from some roofing tin sailing down the alley on a wind gust. The trick is to find the apartments; a lot of cleaning has been accomplished. But Chad says here we are and I look around and gone is the the huge pile of debris and belongings that took up a third of the parking lot, and in the next street over the commercial truck that was crossways blocking the way is gone. It’s hard to see this as the same place we were a month ago. The blue sheet is laid out and I figure out a way to put some spring clothes on a pole supported by the stairs. The handmade quilted blankets are a big hit and John is an enthusiastic clothing salesman.

A 40ish lady named Kaori San hangs around at the end to talk to Chad about her experience. She and her son and the grandmother were in their one-story house when the tsunami came. They all stood on the tallest furniture as the water came up to their necks. She said her husband, being a carpenter was somehow able to break through the wall, drag them all out, and get them onto the roof. They spent the night on the roof in the snow, and the next day there were bodies everywhere. Now she picks up her bags to leave, but not before revealing that her 7-year-old son, who is back in school, whenever there is an aftershock dives under his desk in fear.

While we are cleaning up the tarps and boxes, Mr. Sakai, who has been kind of a neighborhood coordinator, asks if we can give him and his wife a hand. Well, his house faces on the lane where the truck and two cars blocked access a month ago. Now a quick glance reveals few traces of the past. The Sakais were fortunate that their car was not home when the water came in. They’ve started pulling their floor up and found some fish, but funny thing is instead of black mud, the flood left behind fine gravel. Daniel talks to him while we’re working and finds common ground in that they both have two daughters. When we go outside, Maya is having way too much fun cleaning off hardwood floor panels with the pressure washer.

It’s already been a full day, but we have one more stop and it won’t be a fun one. Chihiro’s grandparents have a flower shop downtown with a wood shop in back. They’re in their eighties and he seems to have been saving slabs of nicely grained hardwood and cedar for almost that long. When the water receded the wood came to rest jumbled and leaning on some heavy machinery with a layer of mud under it all. So our job is move all the wood out (I’m guessing some 200 pieces, a couple as heavy as 300 lbs, others little shingle-sized scaps), clean out the mud and then restack it all. Further complications: trying to get power and water for the pressure washer, and adequate lighting. Ojiisan brings a big glass fixture to plug in the ceiling for a light, but I say that’s a disaster waiting with all the wood and pry bars we’re swinging around, so we find a drop light instead. Then we have to move some heavy machinery around to get the mud out from under it.

When the place is finally emptied and cleaned it’s been several hours and it’s getting dark. We’ve got three people outside wielding brooms to dust the boards, with everyone else carrying them inside or stacking, trying to put them back in biggest to smallest. After what seems like forever we close up the side of the shop and clean the tools and the grandparents bring us two bags of drinks and snacks and are truly grateful for our work and I know tonight I really need to hit the onsen.