ONAGAWA, Japan, April 16, 2011 (AFP) – Hundreds of aftershocks have rocked the ground and frayed nerves in the five weeks since Japan’s massive earthquake and tsunami, forcing survivors to relive the terror almost daily.
The incessant rumbling of the Earth’s stressed crust has held back relief work, imperilled already dangerous operations to contain a nuclear crisis and fuelled fears far beyond the coast that was devastated by the giant wave.
Many now complain of “earthquake sickness” – the sensation that the ground is swaying beneath their feet even when it is not – a condition blamed on confused inner-ear balance receptors and a heightened state of anxiety.
For the tens of thousands living in spartan and crowded evacuation shelters in and near the tsunami wastelands, the creaking of already weakened buildings and the risk of another killer wave spark mortal fears.
“We are almost getting used to the aftershocks, yet every time one of them strikes, we are reminded of the terror we felt the day of the tsunami,” said Kenichi Endo, 45, who lost his fisherman father at sea to the monster wave.
Read the rest of this story on: Asia Times News
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