Earth Quake....EARTH SHAKE...The scariest day of my life.

We were at the immigration office when the table started to shake. I wasn't sure if it really was a quake, you never are, but then my husband said to get outside and quick.

Selfish people blocked the doorway as it was a safe place but we eventually got out to a small car park, where everything was shaking vigorously.

My legs were wobbly; I was falling over concrete parking blocks and couldn't get my legs to walk to the safe area.

We stood in a line, raised our hands and watched what was happening. Cars were shaking, buildings were shaking, electrical wires were shaking, along with their poles. One house opposite shook so hard that I could see the tiles coming off the roof. It was out of control and the worse

thing was, there was nothing we could do.

As soon as the main shaking stopped, we were told to go back in, even though this wasn't safe procedure.

We couldn't stay any longer at the office, we had a dog and a hamster back home and new furniture delivered the day before standing precariously near the dog's cage. We were very worried.

We were lucky in that we could walk to Omiya station, but there were

no trains, of course and people everywhere. and vasts quantities of water leaking from the department store onto the station floor.

It was crazy, yet, MacDonald's was open and selling food and people were buying cakes from stalls.

We walked for a while, as did so many others and were lucky enough to catch a taxi.

When we got home, things were a mess, but our dog and hamster were fine despite the rubble around them.

Mimi was under the cd rack when it fell, but is fine, if a little traumatised.

We are all lucky to be alive and together. God bless everyone here. The people here are working wonders, despite the fear and the trauma. My heart is with them all, especially in Miyagi.