Anecdotes

Syahril

Most of the Malaysian students of Tohoku University are at the Katahira-Chou Elementary School evacuation center. We are about 15 km from the worst hit areas. Actually we can feel small earthquakes around 3, 4M since last week but the earthquake on Friday was the biggest one. I was in my 6th floor apartment with my housemate and i could feel that the earthquake was different from the other earthquakes i have experienced before. After about 3 minutes the earthquake finally stopped and we decided to leave the house to find a safer place. My neighbours were screaming and we were very panicked. We still could feel the aftershocks until today. The tsunami waters didn't reach us at all luckily. The badly hit areas in Miyagi are Kesennuma, Natori, Tagajou, Wakabayashi-ku (next to Aoba-ku, where we are). The representative from the Malaysian Embassy came today (Mar 13) and provided us with more food.

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Syafiq Marzuki

"My room is on the 10th floor of my apartment. I was in the middle of an internet chat with my friends via Skype when my room started to shake. I managed to type 'I run first' before i escaped from my room. I can still remember the sound of crashing cutleries while i ran out from my room"

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Fathan Akmal

"I was in car heading back from the prefecture office with two of my friends, Afizul and Syahiran. We felt sudden shakings and we thought there was something wrong with our car. The ground started shaking violently and at that time we realized that it was an earthquake. We started praying and got out from the car with our heads covered."

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Illani

"it was Friday, about a quarter before 3 pm; and i have a paper deadline.In another minute or so,i felt a sudden movement of my screen's desktop.Oh no,earthquake.I thought it was just the normal earthquake,i did not panic.Within seconds,the earthquake was at its full blast.I dunked under my desk.This is the first time that i have to dunk and cover;"turtle time", a term some of us used when earthquake occured.The first thing that came across on my mind was,i will not see my baby and husband anymore.:(;luckily i survived the tremor."

Illani  & Noorazali's baby Eva, on the Shinkansen en route to Sendai - May 2010

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Noorazali

"While my wife was in her office/lab,i was in an electrical store,Labi,in the middle of Natori,the worst tsunami hit area.My baby and i was browsing the tv section.The window panes in the electrical store was shaking and about to fall on both of us,when the store's assistant pushed both of us under a table.In the nick of time,the window pane falls in pieces just less than a meter from us.After the trembling and shaking ended,my baby and i jumped into our car and sped towards my wife's office to check on her,as the phone line no longer available.I am glad we survived."

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Marissa

"I was at home when the earthquake hit. Everything was shaking and i suddenly thought of Christchurch. When my books and files started falling from my desk and shelves, I sent my family, what i thought of as, a last message. The lights flickered and then suddenly the power went off. When the earthquake finally stopped I tried contacting my family and friends but there was no line. I was scared but my neighbours helped me and I was soon reunited with my friends."

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