Dear Friends,
March 16
Greetings from ARI. As I sit down to write this message I am feeling yet another aftershock rock the room, though this one is very small. I know you are all worried and I’m not sure how much news has gotten to you about the situation of ARI. I’m sorry this report isn’t coming sooner, but as you can imagine, we have had quite a few things on our hands. This letter is going out only to people on the Take My Hand Email list, so please feel free to pass it on to others.
It has been 5 days since the earthquake but we are still in the middle of the prolonged and incredibly nerve-racking disaster of the nuclear power plant failure. Every day we wait for the news and when one problem seems to get solved at the plant another one starts and the situation remains critical. Of course the big question is about whether we are safe from the radiation. We are situated about 130km from the plant and the radiation levels you here on the news consist mostly of those at the plant itself and in the immediate vicinity. From yesterday we started getting regular reports about the radiation levels here in the area of ARI. Presently it stands at 1.4 microsieverts per hour. Last night it went as high as 1.7 microsieverts/hour. So what the heck does that mean? Well in this area the normal radiation levels are 0.027 microsieverts per hour. A standard chest x-ray exposes you to 100-300 microsieverts in one shot. A flight from New York to Tokyo exposes you to 200 microsieverts.
So the conclusion is that at the moment we are not any danger and we should just stay inside. Nuclear power plant workers are exposed to 5.7 microsieverts per hour and this is considered within standard safety limits for the industry. That being said, I have to tell you that whenever I am outside I don’t feel much like breathing! We are all wearing masks and when we do have to go out to feed the animals or take care of other necessary things, like repairing burst water pipes, we wear raincoats. We also shower often.
The volunteers evacuated early on and went home or are staying with friends. Children and spouses of staff have also relocated. My own two kids went with their mother to Kyushu to stay with their grandmother much to my relief. Gussan’s wife, who is pregnant, also left for southern Japan at the very beginning of this incident. Some staff left to assist families and volunteers (including myself), but they are slowly coming back to take care of ARI and people who are evacuating from Fukushima to this region. I was gone Sunday and Monday and returned Tuesday.
We are all praying for the workers at the Nuclear Plant and hope that this disaster will find a conclusion that is less than the worst case scenario. Your prayers are very welcome.
March 17
There is little change in the situation at the nuclear power plant. They are continuing to try to find ways to
get and keep enough water on the reactors to prevent them from melting down. There is real threat of a meltdown, but even if that happens ARI is said to be at a distance that is safe enough. Nevertheless we are taking precautions. We have made the seminar house our refuge as it was not at all damaged in the quake. Today we restocked ourselves with food and water – vegetables from the gardens, several bags of rice. Nearly all the foodstuffs we need we have in plenty. Our whole self-sufficiency life style is paying off big time. We are even in a situation to help others and have taken in 3 boys who evacuated from the town of Iwaki (40 km form the plant). We are also distributing eggs and milk to neighbors and to evacuation centers that were recently set up in town. We are also sealing all the windows and have cleared out the basement of this building in case we really do have to hunker down for a few days.
For the moment the nuclear threat has overshadowed the earthquake damage. We have started to do some cleanup but it is going slowly as we try to refrain from going outside too much. The buildings of ARI sustained damage, but we are still not sure
of the extent. A building inspector did an initial inspection and it looks like the biggest problem is the ceiling inside Koinonia was dislodged. A few parts actually fell, but most of the ceiling is still up, and in a dangerous state. The first floor of Koinonia also subsided a little, but we don’t yet know the extent of the damage. Two rooms in the women’s dorm sustained structural damage. The men’s dorm, fortress that it is, was mostly unhurt. The main building also seems to have survived, but needs more careful checking. The souvenir shop slid off the foundation and the stage seating and stage itself broke apart. The pig pen beside the biogas is also damaged, but at least the pig can’t escape. There are a lot of broken windows including the big windows in the chapel. ALL items inside ALL buildings were thrown to the floor and smashed. This includes computers, dishes, rice containers for long term storage, and much more. It is such a mess you can’t see the floor. The buildings do carry insurance, but it is unlikely they are covered for earthquake. We are checking into this.All of this, of course, has interrupted the operations of the school. The biggest decision we had to take was whether or not we could carry on with our 2011 training program. The staff decided that we would do everything we could to carry out the program since this is our mission and purpose. However, we have tentatively decided to postpone the start by one month. This is not yet a fixed decision since we must first have assurance that the nuclear power plant is stable and this area is completely safe before we can even think of brining participants here. Also we will have to complete crucial repairs to the facilities.
We are scared but we are coming together. This is what community is all about. I am so thankful that I am going through this with a community of people who trust each other, love each other and care for each other. We still hold morning gathering every day and we pray together often, doing our best to trust in God and be led by God. There are people suffering much more than we are and I truly can’t keep my eyes dry when I think about them, because what we have been through is already awful. People in the tsunami stricken areas have to wait 5 hours in a line for water and many sleeping on the cold ground (and it snowed yesterday). Relief is coming, but slow and hampered by fear of radiation. There is a UCC missionary (Jeffery Mensendeik) working in Sendai and things look really tough there. We are trying to figure out how we can get them some of our food. Yet, the people in Japan are also rallying. They are stoic and orderly, even in the face of danger. There is confusion but not panic. I heard things are being sold out in stores in safe western Japan , not because people are scared and stocking up, but because they are sending supplies to the north.
There is so much to write about and so many stories, but I will stop now so I can get this sent off.
Please continue to pray for us at ARI and also for all the people of Japan .
In Peace,
Steven
Update: This late afternoon the city of Nasushiobara took in 80 people from Fukushima . They provided them shelter and two blankets, but nothing else. We just took over a supply of food and will see what we can do for them in the morning.
Sending Money:
I have received some inquiries about where people can send money to help us out. At the moment I would welcome peace of mind more than money, but when the nuclear crisis is over we will have to start rebuilding and this will bear costs. We appreciate your thinking of us. Below is the information that you need to make tax deductable contributions to ARI.
American Citizens can send a check to:
American Friends of ARI (AFARI)
c/o Steve Gerdes - Treasurer
11920 Burt St., Suite 145
Omaha , NE 68154-1598
Designate “ARI relief” on the check
or donate online through AFARI at http://friends-ari.org/
Steven Cutting
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