Resilience

　　The recovery work and the relief activities for affected people began in earnest. More than 200,000 affected people stay at several thousand shelters which are scattered within a 300 km radius at present. The access roads to the shelters were broken and there had been no communication between most shelters and the rescue bureau for a few days. The authorities didn't know where and how many people were isolated and stranded. The people must have been starving and very cold. Some of them were wet to the skin. It was snowing.
　　Numerous choppers from Japan's Self-Defence Force (JSDF) and the U.S. military forces were searching for affected people in the rubble or houses isolated in the sea water. I would remember them with humble gratitude. A friend in need is a friend indeed. This is true.
　　By the way, I don't evaluate the government. Their response was so poor that they couldn't supply enough necessities to the affected people who were evacuated with the barest necessities. They had no food, overcoats, heaters, electricity and kerosine, to name a few. On the other hand, ordinary people were great. They looked out for each other even in the shelters. The construction companies speeded up reconstruction efforts on the roads. The Joban highway (Link 1, Link 2), which is the most important road for the victims was completely destroyed, but it was recovered to the level that trailers could run one by one for only 6 days. Sendai port is also important to transportation by cargo ships. This port was already recovered partially though a number of cars, rubble and something like that are sunk in the port and they hamper the entry of the ships into port. Sendai airport was also restored partially. As the runway was a half of what it used to be, it's only available for the U.S. military and JSDF aircraft, but it's enough now. Oil factories are completely retrieved. Those works were done by ordinary people. Everyone knows and does what they should do.
　　For the last of this entry, I have to refer to the present heros, who are working at the collapsed atomic power plant with their life on the line. All of them know the possible exposure to radiation. What drives them? One of their wives reportedly said to her husband "I hope you will be a Messiah for Japan." This fireman is great and his wife is much more than great. I couldn't hold back my tears.
　　It is expected to take many years to complete the overall reconstruction work. However, we will surely overcome these difficulties.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/24/japan-disaster-reconstruction-road-recovery

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1369307/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-Road-repaired-SIX-days-destroyed.html

(Vocabulary)
resilience  立ち直る力, 回復力
recovery efforts / work // rehabilitation work  復旧作業
in earnest 本格的に
relief activities for affected people  被災民救援活動
humble (ほめて) 謙虚な, つつましい
a humble apology (フォーマル) 心からの謝罪
with only the barest necessities  着の身着のままで
bare 《[名]の前でのみ》 かろうじての, ほんのわずかの
the bare essentials (the bare necessities とも) 最低限必要なもの
to name a few 数例を挙げると
look out for sb/sth  ＜…＞に注意する,  ＜…＞を保護する, の世話をする
speed up reconstruction efforts of ～の復旧作業を急ぐ
refinery / oil factory  製油所
retrieve [他](状況)を修復する, 立て直す, (元のよい状態)に復旧する
Messiah 《常に単数形で》 (比喩的に) 救世主
hold back one's tears  涙をこらえる

Comments

[KUMO]

Dear YL

I'll write about the spirit of Japan in the blog in a few days as the reply to your comment.

[YL]

Thank you for your very kind words. Alas, I have never had the opportunity to visit your country. I am just an average American, without any personal connection with Japan. I only wish I had a "profound understanding" of anything—well, I can hardly understand even myself.

For me Japan is not about understanding but, how should I say.. there is no good expression in English for that... for me Japan is 心の事

[KUMO]

Hi, YL
Do you have ever been or lived in Japan? I think you have profound understanding about the spirit or what you call, DNA of the Japanese. The last sentence is great words of encouragement. Thank you.

[YL]

Call me silly, but I think that the Fukushima Fifty are driven by the same spirit that drove the Forty-Seven Ronins. Those heroes of old sacrificed themselves out of loyalty for their lord, the ones today make their sacrifice out of loyalty to the entire nation.

And about the wife who sent her husband forth to peril expecting him to be the savior of Japan...
One of my pleasures is the hour I spend daily following a few Japanese bulletin boards attended by ordinary people chatting about their their life, work, joys and sorrows, pets and other everyday topics, unaware of the faraway foreign friend who silently and lovingly partakes in their lives. On March 11 a striking change happened on these boards. The simple houseviwes who had been using the usual refined feminine language have turned into impassioned patriots calling the nation to arms. Invariably, it were the ladies on every board. The language of their plea to help each other, to endure, to sacrifice was the language of military officers admonishing their troops before battle. Can it be that the dainty, gentle, flowerlike Japanese woman turns into cold steel in adversity? If yes, I think a country with mothers and wives like this has nothing to be afraid of in the future.

[KUMO]

Thanks Klaus

I'm thinking of posting my idea about German media which I wrote on Mar. 20th in a few days.