Japan: Each major aftershock is adding to emotional fallout

Dr. Unni Krishnan witnesses the tsunami damage in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

Dr Unni Krishnan

It felt like a monster was violently shaking the building. The disaster-struck people of northern Japan were again being tossed around by Mother Nature's unpredictable whim, and this time, it was big.

It was about 11.30pm and I had just returned to my hotel room after a busy day running an orientation session on emotional first-aid and psychosocial care for a group of paediatricians, local psychologists and youth artists who are working as volunteers in Sendai, one of the areas worst hit by last month’s tsunami.

I was on the fourth floor of my hotel in central Sendai, trying to connect with colleagues in London. The chair, television, everything around me started shaking and swinging. A few things I had kept on the table were sliding or flying in different directions. I managed to grab a thick plastic folder, placed it over my head and slipped under a table. By then, the chair I had been sitting on was jumping up and down until it finally tipped over. I could hear people in other rooms screaming. It felt as if it went on for a lifetime, but we later learned later that it lasted for less than a minute.

The moment the building stopped shaking we all rushed down and assembled in the open area for a long, sleepless night. It was a terrifying experience. It was not just the ground that was shaken – we were too. It was the longest one minute of my life.

Last Thursday's tremor in Sendai measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. It was the strongest aftershock since the devastating 9.0 earthquake a month ago that was followed by a tsunami that swept deeply into Japan's north-east, killing tens of thousands. It was followed by a 6.6-magnitude aftershock on Monday’s one-month anniversary of the original disaster. It generated a tsunami warning, which was later cancelled, and forced the evacuation of the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.

These monster aftershocks are complicating the situation for the survivors, especially for the most vulnerable, such as children. On Wednesday last week, I ran a training session for more than 300 kindergarten and primary teachers, accompanied by renowned clinical psychotherapist Professor Machiko Kamiyama. The key issue that teachers are facing is the children who are shocked and in emotional distress. With my team from Plan, we listened to several children who expressed their fears and concerns.

One month on, children are still deeply unsettled by the impact of these multiple disasters. They think that they are cornered by threats from all angles. First it was the earthquake that came through the land; then the tsunami through the water; and then followed the radiation or the threat of radiation through air or environment. Children are deeply afraid of another disaster.

I have spent most of the past month in Japan leading Plan's response to the earthquake and tsunami, and I have become a fan of the Japanese people's admirable resilience and their ability to cope. The level of Japan's preparedness and the strength and capacity of its people to deal with disasters are inspiring. The world could learn from these people.

However, repeated aftershocks and tsunami alerts and uncertainty about nuclear reactors have been adding pressure to an already stressed situation. The human mind often works like a balloon. If you keep pumping in the air and don't release the pressure it will reach its limit, and eventually burst. The emotional fallout of this disaster is becoming more complex with each major aftershock. Children are finding it challenging and difficult to cope.

Food, water and shelter are essential aspects of any disaster response. But the psychological impact of a disaster means that it is also extremely important to respond to emotional and psychosocial needs. Plan's priority in Japan is helping children to cope with the emotional fallout from the multiple disasters that have hit the country. We have been focusing on providing emotional support and psychosocial care and support to children, teachers and parents.

Working through local survivors such as teachers can be one of the most effective ways of supporting children. NGO guidelines on psychosocial care highlight the need to capitalise on local systems and people; mental health professionals in Japan and the Japanese Government are working hard to develop context-specific advice so that outsiders like myself can offer the best support and training to the people who will be caring for these children over the long-term.

The latest major earthquake further reiterates the importance of continuing the humanitarian mission with renewed energy and commitment. It appears the disaster in Japan will have long-lasting effects that will need serious commitments for many years to come.

This is an unprecedented disaster and the complexities are being amplified by many factors including aftershocks like the one yesterday. Recovery will be challenging. In such a complex situation, the challenge is knowing where to start in the complex task of rebuilding shattered communities and broken minds.

The Japanese have a saying: "A journey of a thousand miles start with a single step." Empowering teachers to care for Japan's children is perhaps a good place to start.

Dr Unni Krishnan is Plan International's Global Disaster Response Policy Coordinator. Donations to Plan's Japan disaster appeal can be made online or by calling 13 75 26.