A magnitude 9.0 earthquake and 30-foot tsunami hit the northeast coast of Japan on March 11 — and the aftershocks are affecting people as far away as UNM.
The natural disaster killed thousands, and rescue workers continue to search for missing persons two weeks later. UNM Japanese students and faculty wasted little time organizing fundraising events for Japan.
Japanese students, faculty and supporters held a flea market and organized a bake sale Thursday.
Thomas Bogenschild, director of the UNM Office of International Programs and Studies, said, as far as he knows, all Japanese students and faculty members have gotten in touch with their families, and everyone’s family members are safe and unharmed.
“We sent out a message to all of the Japanese students and faculty saying that we would help them get in contact with people,” he said. “We didn’t hear from anyone, so we haven’t heard of any difficulty students have had reaching people there.”
Bogenschild said two UNM students were studying abroad in Japan when the earthquake hit. He said one student opted to stay in Japan while another came home.
“One of the students is about 900 kilometers away from the epicenter, and he said he felt pretty safe,” Bogenschild said. “But on Saturday morning, when it became evident that the nuclear problem was going to be a big issue, we double-checked with people, and one student definitely wanted to come home, so we helped pave the way for that.”
Bogenschild said the student who opted to come was studying at an institution on the northwest coast of Japan and was closer to the devastated area than the student who stayed. He said communication was interrupted in that area so he couldn’t even access the northwest Japan institution’s website in the days following the earthquake.
“She was traveling in Tokyo in the time, and once we got in contact with her, it was quite clear things were pretty weird,” he said. “She clearly wanted to come home.”
Japanese student Eri Hoshi said the fundraising group raised more than $4,000 for JANIC, a Japanese NGO accepting donations for the relief effort. Hoshi, whose family lives in Tokyo, said the city is running low on basic supplies because of the earthquake.
“My family is having a hard time living a normal life,” she said. “All of the supplies are low. All of the stores are empty.”
At the bake sale in front of Zimmerman Library, students and faculty members sold homemade baked goods and paper cranes. Hoshi said the group folded 1,000 paper cranes, because the act is said to make a wish come true.
Student Haruna Nakayama, who helped in the local relief efforts, said she is devastated to see Japan, her native country, in a depressed state.
“Just because our friends and family are OK, doesn’t mean we’re OK,” she said. “It’s so hard to see our tiny country destroyed.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
