30 children still waiting at school for parents to come for them. A heartbreaking story from the day

This story has finally destroyed me, emotionally.

I'm sad for the children, angry at the governments for NOT doing MORE ANYTHING to help these people. Where are the relief organization photos?

If there are big relief operations underway - why aren't they or the media SHOWING those operations? I want to see photos of our donations DOING WORK on the ground in Japan. I want to see crates of supplies coming off planes, children and families in clean dry clothes, etc.

Instead all we see is.... depressing stories, and Japanese experts expressing concern and anger:

Ken Joseph, an associate professor at Chiba University, is in Ishinomaki with the Japan Emergency Team.

He told the Evening Standard: 'I think the death toll is going to be closer to 100,000 than 10,000.'

'Why is there no food? I have been to every disaster zone in the last 20 years and I have never seen anything remotely like this. I think we’re on the brink of chaos.'

He said the Prime Minister was 'a wonderful man in many ways' but indecisive as a leader: 'In yesterday’s press conference on the nuclear reactor, he looked like he was going to cry, like a man having a nervous breakdown.

'Where is the sense of urgency? We need somebody to take charge. We’ve had an earthquake followed by fire, then a tsunami, then radiation, and now snow. It’s everything.

'There is nothing left. The world needs to step in. Where are the Americans? The Japanese are too proud to ask, but we need help and we need it now.'

It sounds to me that the reason we aren't see these positive things I speak of, is because they simply aren't happening.

It's discouraging. I keep reading people over there saying they are worried chaos may soon break out because food & water supplies are running so low.

I can't take it anymore. My blood pressure is going through the roof.

reply to post by lcbjr1979


I'm in Melbourne, Australia and I heard on the radio yesterday that there are a few Japanese schoolgirls who are on exchange programs near me..
Their entire families have been killed and they are thousands of miles from home..
So saddening but the offers of support from private citizens here was a joy to hear..
They will be well looked after and allowed to stay if the wish..
At least they are safe..

reply to post by Versa


Really?! I must have missed that one. Well.....in that case damn.

reply to post by harrytuttle


Your right, by now something, anything positive coming out of japan would be a blessing. I understand the radiation thing is a high priority, but sooner or later the government is gonna have to start multi tasking. There is no reason that these children should still be in that school. Patrols should have been made and survivors rescued. I would love to know what the leadership over there is doing. I thought our government was bad. The more i hear about japan the more i wonder if they just want people to die. The mayor of the town who says they are being left to die, the people within the 12 miles of the plants being told to just stay home, the government telling everyone that things are fine. They are not fine, They are a culture that prides itself on respect but it seems like when the chips are down its every man for themselves, and lie lie lie until your caught and then say oh yeah there is a problem.

Ok, I'm an strong man and now I'm crying and can't stop. Please Lord, help these children.

And I thought things couldn't get any worse.
I'm young, still in school, currently raising an 8 month old with my spouse, but we have always wanted to adopt.
Now seems a better time than ever.....=/

Just tears in my eyes....children are the one who are hit hard and they are the one who are so defenseless.

reply to post by Versa


Some cross-cultural adoptions are still being pursued. My daughter is from China. I believe however that the Japanese have a particular antipathy to adoption for several reasons. The first is that they believe Japanese children should be raised in Japan to preserve their unique Japanese culture and essence. The second is somewhat less altruistic. It is something rarely mentioned, but there are still castes and caste-consciousness in Japan. People rarely want to adopt a child because they don't know the child's antecedants and by doing so they may be introducing lower caste blood, or worse, foreign blood like Korean, into the family. I wish theses children all the best and hope against hope that at least a few of their parents have survived and will come to claim them soon. Sadly, I suspect that many will be sent to orphanages or to relatives' houses to live.

Originally posted by lcbjr1979
reply to post by Unity_99

 

You know that is an excellent point. I would have to assume that they are rationing what they have in the cafeteria, however with no electricty i would have to say that most of the food is rotten by now. Hopefully there is rescue soon.

Cafeteria food rotting? I thought it was right up their on par with McDonalds.

What is really worriesome is no running water. The sanitation is probably the biggest issue.

A leson can be learned here: Build your schools on high ground!

reply to post by jonibelle


In Canada need 8 years waiting to adopt...

indeed a very heartbreaking article, i will pray for them tonight, in hope that all is well in the end.

Crap. Wish I had not looked at that article. That woman, Mika Sato, from what little I can see of her grief stricken face, looks like me, and she found her dead child in a charred kindergarten bus. My daughter is in kindergarten. Damn. I should say "I can't imagine what she is going though" but I can imagine, all too well. Any loving parent could imagine it. I can't know, of course. I can only imagine. And that's bad enough.

Up til now I've been trying to read with blinders on, filtering only for info that could help my parents and aunts and uncles figure out what should be done about an uncle in Tokyo. Trying not to see all the Mika Satos over there, or all the little children just like my own. Just focusing on numbers and facts and figures.

We donated money to Japan but I can see there isn't enough money in the world gonna fix this # and give Mika Sato back her baby girl.

All those poor kids in that school are being cooked with radiation, aren't they? See that's what's been driving me crazy, in trying to get good information regarding my uncle, I can't figure anything out. So much obfuscation on one side, fear mongering on the other and the media either shutting up or going overboard, I just dont really know what's going on. My uncle was able to get to a working phone only once and he never mentioned radiation at all. So I just don't know. Sorry for the ramble. I'm just too choked up and probably shouldn't have posted at all. Somebody here on ATS is probably going to come along and fry me for this post. Whatever. Have at it.

Btw, I never posted on those threads but my thoughts and prayers are still also with the good people of CHCH NZ.

Originally posted by Night Star

Originally posted by Versa
reply to post by lcbjr1979

 

Although it doesn't surprise me I'm gutted this thread hasn't received more attention as of yet

It seems to me that people love to talk about the possibility that radiation might in a million years get to them but they don't really care about what's happening over there. Children waiting for mothers that will never come isn't as important to some people as potassium iodine selling out in a country 4.5 thousand miles away

Thats humanity for you

edit on 18/3/11 by Versa because: (no reason given)

With the countless threads on the horrors of what's happening in Japan, and many commenting all over the place, what is left to say? It is difficult for people to keep repeating the same things over and over. Of course people care and they care deeply. There comes a time when people have said all there is to say and their hearts are broken. They continue to pray and have compassion.

I agree. There's no need to turn compassion for those victims, into condemnation of our fellows, just because they didn't come and post and star and flag another heartbreaking thread on the suffering in Japan. How sad is THAT?
Why is everyone so quick to accuse everyone else of being a heartless monster and making everyone else bad. To me, that's equally as sad as a statement about our collective human condition.

It's heartwrenching, and although there are some who don't feel that, or for whatever reason, can't, most people are kind, loving, caring people, who are not unwilling to cry.

Makes you feel pretty powerless.

I agree with the earlier post,what good does wallowing in this tiresome news do?Its like peeling the head off a scab over and over.

Many Japanese have dead Pets and sons/daugters,time to be strong and sort out this nuclear mess and build new flats and houses.

I don't think anyone who is not there can imagine the scope of devastation and disruption to the infrastructure. In my opinion it would be too hasty to send the kids off somewhere when there is an outside chance a parent or relative might yet show up. Who knows, they could be a hospital, clinic or shelter somewhere recovering from wounds and unable to make contact just yet.

Everything isn't going to go smoothly when the entire infrastructure is destroyed. People are going to have to rely on each other and make do the best they can in the circumstances, which is pretty much how I see it happening.

Bless them for their efforts. I can't imagine a worse situation for those kids than to have lost their parents in such a horrible manner, yet not really knowing anything for sure. It is going to be a long road to recovery for them. I hope they get good people in their lives to help them.

Originally posted by backinblack
reply to post by lcbjr1979

 

I'm in Melbourne, Australia and I heard on the radio yesterday that there are a few Japanese schoolgirls who are on exchange programs near me..
Their entire families have been killed and they are thousands of miles from home..
So saddening but the offers of support from private citizens here was a joy to hear..
They will be well looked after and allowed to stay if the wish..
At least they are safe..

Damn, i cant imagine a worse thing. Being away should be much more painful because the pain grows inside. But they will go now right? Maybe they should in order to share the grieve, it is helpful.

Some good news regarding the children

Good news!





reply to post by Trueman

reply to post by searching4truth

reply to post by lcbjr1979

reply to post by jonibelle

reply to post by Saint

reply to post by LibertyLover

reply to post by SheeplFlavoredAgain

reply to post by EL1A5

reply to post by IsisMoon21

reply to post by wayno

reply to post by harrytuttle

reply to post by backinblack

reply to post by Versa

reply to post by graceunderpressure

reply to post by meathed

reply to post by Unity_99

reply to post by trag3d1

reply to post by xsheep

reply to post by ScorpioRising


Thank you for the update. I hope each one of those survivors will be safe from here on out and get a chance to heal from their ordeal. I wish there were more details and more known about how many parents survived but hey, any news of the kids getting claimed by any family at all is good news. Sorry not to respond sooner. I got lost tracking all my subscribed threads.