Former Nevadans leave Japan amid earthquake chaos
"The Verdict: We should go...David's company has asked us to fly to Hong Kong...we are leaving later this afternoon."
That is the latest Facebook wall post from a former Northern Nevada resident and her family living in Japan who have made plans to leave the beleagured country in the wake of the earthquakes and tsunami that left the island nation devastated.
Alyson Meidell Jenkins, 33, along with many other Americans, have made plans to leave Japan immediately.
Shortly after the initial great 9.0 earthquake, Jenkins, living in Roppongi, Tokyo, relayed to Carson Now her eyewitness account from Tokyo of the earthquake.
Here is what she writes on Sunday in Japan in the aftermath of the disaster:
"Emergency supplies sit in a pile at our front door, a 72 hour kit, first aid, water, snacks, passports, extra clothes and other various items. We have been ready and prepared to leave should our situation become emergent. I feel like I live on a boat that hasn't reached port. I am constantly looking for a point of reference around me (e.g. a hanging towel, the curtains, plants) to assure myself that I am not crazy and that my apartment is indeed swaying again. Today, Sunday, the frequency of aftershocks has decreased, but I feel almost a vertigo sensation. My head hurts. I am tired from not being able to sleep. The aftershocks have tended to culminate daily into a least a couple really good 6 scaled quakes.
But, it's the constant feeling of being off balance and checking in with others that they are okay, that feels like a form of torture. Yesterday's ghost town was unsettling. The three small grocery stores that are closest to me were filled with lines of people until each sold out of food and one by one closed their doors.
Today, the shops are open, but again, no one is out. The possibility of a rolling black out is worrisome, but not life threatening. Over the public PA system, we are told to conserve energy. It is the looming threat of the nuclear reactor that is frightening. Every expat is thinking about whether or not to leave the country. The truly panic stricken hopped on planes yesterday and others are booking tickets. We are all asking ourselves, "Should I stay or should I go?" David's employer kindly created an evacuation plan for us. We have tickets to leave for Hong Kong tomorrow night, should we decide to use them. I keep asking myself if our situation warrants fleeing the country and perhaps I am just selfish, wondering what we are going to do in Hong Kong...it just doesn't seem like the right thing to do with the tragic situation the people of Sendai are facing."