From The Voice Of Mary Esther

Mary Esther is Mark Penner's wife, who is living in Japan.

Here are two excerpts from Mark Penner, Bruce’s brother.

3/29/11

Spoke to Mark on the phone this afternoon. 

He said their team had already gotten a reputation for being willing and able to move heavy things.  He said you walk into a house and everything looks trashed, like the water rushed in bringing all sorts of dirt with it, tore things apart and left a huge muddy awful mess.  He said there are heavy pieces (pianos, frigs, washing machines) that are totally useless water soaked and totally filthy.  They need to be taken out of the houses so people can begin the cleaning and repair work that needs to happen.  So they take and move these things from inside the house and just set them outside by the street as there is no way to really dispose of them.  He said they moved 4 pianos out of homes today. 

He was pretty excited when I talked with him as he'd just helped a family who asked what group he was affiliated with.  He said "the Shiogama Church" Then the lady asked if it was Ohtomo's church and Mark said yes.  She then said her child had gone to school with the son.  Mark then was able to tell her that it was that son who was now in charge of the project directing all the volunteers.  He was so glad to be able to make that connection.

They will stay at Tak (this is Mark’s summer home) again tonight.

He said they have enough food and are staying warm enough.  He said they may not bathe the week they're up there. 

3/30/11

Mark called and said he and Bruce and the team went back to the home they were at yesterday.

The grandma and grandpa had a great deal of difficulty letting go of the muddy possessions.  They wanted to look at each thing no matter how bad it was, and decide whether to keep it or not.  They wanted to wrap up the old soggy magazines to throw out the proper way.  They didn't want the muddy futon thrown out.  I can't imagine saying goodbye to all your things, and seeing so much that you loved totally ruined.  The lady of the home was a piano teacher, and her grand piano was wrecked.  He said the tatami mats were so heavy from mud it took 4 people to lift them and carry them off.

He said the family was still experiencing earthquakes when the loud speakers were announcing a BIG tsunami and instructing people to leave.  The grandpa was hanging onto a pine tree because he couldn't walk because the earth was still shaking.  The grandpa wanted to go back into the house for his money, then for his glasses and the grandma kept urging him to leave it all and get going.  The fire department was making rounds trying to get people to leave.  They tried to leave in their car but the roads were so packed they finally left their car and ran to the elementary school on higher ground.  Their son had a closer call.  Their two nieces didn't make it.