Papers published in other journals

Source: Yokohama Mental Service Network Information Magazine
Mental Net Vol. 18-4, No. 72, pp. 6-7

From the disaster area

Welcoming March on the 12th anniversary
Normal times can turn into an emergency at any time
Mitsuaki Katayanagi (Miyagi Disaster Mental Health Care Center)
This year’s winter in Kesennuma was a long andharsh one. There were more frequent and greater
quantities of snowfall compared with last year,
and unbearably cold days seemed to last every day.
Since the beginning of March, we have begun tofeel the slightest amount of warmth. It feels thatthe end of winter is approaching.

earthquake occurred. It was during the second
earthquake that I felt fear. I heard a tremendous
rumbling, and at the same time, there was a small
but strong shaking, after which the entire building
began to shake, with the shaking becoming
gradually more intense. I recall vividly how I
thought to myself, “everything will end,” how thisshaking was a disaster-class earthquake, and how
my life will end here. As a physical sensation, itlasted about two to three minutes. As the shaking
gradually settled, sirens began to sound in thetown. My residence in Kesennuma is located in alowland about 300 meters away from the sea; thepossibility of a tsunami was very much on mymind. Although it was only at a warning levelaccording to the TV, cars continued to drive
toward higher ground on the typically quiet roadout front. I was unable to return to sleep andstayed awake until the morning.

Incidentally, this year marks 11 years since theGreat East Japan Earthquake. At the Miyagi
Disaster Mental Health Care Center, with which I
am affiliated, we publish an article about mental
health in a local newspaper in Kesennuma every
month, prepared together with the Kesennuma
Public Health Center, but for the March issue
every year, we write about the earthquake disasterand mental health. This year, we received new
inquiries from residents who read the article. Thisyear, as in 2011, the date of the disaster fell on aFriday, so there may have been many people who
were reminded of the earthquake. I realized once
again that there are people for whom, after 11years, the event feels like a distant memory, aswell as people for whom the memory comes backto life—where the memory never goes away.
Already 11 years, still 11 years, finally 11 years.
No doubt, each person has their own March 11.

I felt like I was caught off guard by thisearthquake. This earthquake, which occurred justafter March 11 and just another year after theprevious earthquake in the region, dragged meback to March 11. Since that day, I have often
heard residents say, “I wonder why the timing was
like this” and “that shaking was similar to theearthquake disaster.” Approximately one week
later, weak aftershocks continued. Fortunately,
there was not much damage around my house, butthe town was severely damaged. Many
restaurants and retail stores were still closed. We
never know when and in what form a disaster will
occur. Normal times can turn into an emergency
at any time. It is easy to forget, but the fact
remains. It would not be strange if such an
emergency happened now, at this exact moment.

It is going to be nine years since I startedworking in Kesennuma. When I spend time inKesennuma, I have the impression that after
March 11, the town and people both begin toprepare to welcome spring. At 11:36 pm on
Wednesday, March 16, a large earthquake
occurred with its epicenter off the coast of
Fukushima Prefecture. I was in Kesennuma on
this day, woken from sleep by an earthquake early
warning on my smartphone and a huge tremor.
This was my first earthquake experience, and I
felt it subside very quickly as a physicalexperience. I started reading related articles on
my smartphone while feeling a bit drowsy, andthen one or two minutes later, a second

When talking of disasters that can happen at anytime, we cannot ignore Russia’s invasion ofUkraine. Of course, it is unreasonable to talkabout natural disasters and man-made disasters inthe same terms, but there are no differences in

YMSN72–6−− 47 −From the disaster area
terms of the deaths of people and the devastation
wrought, as well as the loss and damage resulting
from disasters. The lifestyles of the Ukrainian
people were suddenly disrupted on February 24.
Many important things that do not need to betaken away are taken away from us. The videos
and images shown on the news are unbearable towatch. The circumstances in which we findourselves today are similar to those I faced when
I was working in Yokohama at the time of theGreat East Japan Earthquake, and how I was notin Tohoku, where there was severe damage. What
can I do, now, as a person who was not directly
affected by the disaster? Does it end at just saying,“that’s so hard for them,” or something more?

What we can do as the involved party and what
we can do because we are not the involved party,
in response to the various disasters occurring
today—surely there must be something that wecan think of precisely because we haveexperienced the great disaster that was the Great
East Japan Earthquake.

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