All the Chapters
Chapter 18
Every television channel all over the world was telecasting this breaking news:
“The most powerful ever known earthquake of magnitude 9 hit Japan for six minutes. It is one of the worst five documented earthquakes. It’s epicenter is approximately 40 miles east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tohoku. It’s hypocenter is at an underwater depth of around 18 miles.
The earthquake has triggered the worst tsunami after the tsunami of Indonesia of 2004. The tallest tsunami waves reached a height of approximately 120 feet in Miyako. Average height of tsunami waves remained at approximately 30 feet in most of the affected areas while it’s ferocity lasted. The waves travelled inland up to more than 10 miles even in Sendai area, which is some 80 miles away from the epicenter.
Rescue teams from all over Japan and a few from the rest of the world are rushing to the affected areas. The first team to reach from outside of Japan is ‘Humanity Forum’- a well known and competent group of volunteers from USA.”
Kelly and Shaan had already reached Japan. They along with a team of their other colleagues from ‘Humanity Forum’ were assigned Sendai area for the rescue operations.
“Three areas have been worst hit by tsunami- Tohoku, Miyako and Sendai. Therefore setting up three rescue camps, one in each of this area was a good decision,” Kelly was in conversation with Shaan the night they reached Japan along with a planeload of other group members of ‘Humanity Forum’.
Shaan added, “We have adequate sets of equipment, tents, water, oxygen and medicines to setup the three camps simultaneously.”
“And yes, we have a good number of doctors and nurses. Also we have a large contingent of competent rescuers- the front liners- who matter a lot under such horrendous circumstances.”
“Let us tighten our belts and start the rescue operations from three in the morning. All of us need a couple of hours of rest right now so that we can start working non-stop for next couple of days. We can then take our turns of rest and work. Let us sleep now, it’s already past midnight.”
Before going to sleep, Shaan sent an email to his parents Yusuf and Alice in India, “With my colleagues of ‘Humanity Forum’ I am in Japan now to undertake the rescue operations. Do not worry about me. All of us are safe. Take care.”
………………….
In San Diego Samskara was trying to locate the address book in which Medhavi had written down her address and phone numbers of Japan. Her company had made arrangements for her stay in Sendai in an apartment few miles from her office.
No sooner Samskara heard the dreadful news of tsunami in Japan he started getting worried about Medhavi. He faintly remembered Medhavi telling him that she would be putting up in the city of Sendai in Japan. That made him all the more worried. Sendai was one of the worst hit tsunami areas.
Yet he wanted to be sure that what he had heard Medhavi saying was the city of Sendai. He prayed fervently that what he heard was not Sendai but some far away city of Japan where tsunami did not affect at all.
Despite his religious differences he cared for Medhavi.
He wished to speak with Medhavi over the phone. He tried Medhavi’s cell phone but he could not get connected to her cell. Obviously the cell phone lines were out of order due to the earthquake and the tsunami and were not working.
He thought that perhaps by some miracle landlines might be working and he could contact Medhavi on her landline. So he started searching for the address book frantically. He remembered to have seen it in their bedroom on the bedside table. He rushed into the bedroom.
He saw a diary on the bedside table and it gave him hope. He opened it to locate the landline phone number of Medhavi.
What he saw in the diary were not any phone numbers. It was a diary similar in looks to their address book but the inside of it did not contain phone numbers. Instead it contained some notes Medhavi made.
The first page contained remarks of Medhavi on the incident that took place in their home when Medhavi’s friend Anjali had visited them a few months ago.
He went on reading the entire diary Medhavi wrote.
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Novels and Stories
Novel "Good People" http://good-people-novel.blogspot.com/
Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/
Stories Children Will Love http://stories-children.blogspot.com/
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