“Is he okay?”
She nodded.
“He survived.”
For the first time since the earthquake, she smiled.
But she knew thousands of other families were still waiting.
Her relief existed alongside their uncertainty.
That was the strange reality of disaster.
One person could receive good news while another was still waiting for a name to appear on a list.
Darkness had hidden details.
Morning revealed them.
Mud covered roads.
Vehicles were piled against buildings.
Furniture was scattered across streets.
Walls had collapsed.
Windows were shattered.
Power lines lay tangled in some areas.
Trees had been damaged.
Fishing equipment had been carried inland.
The water had retreated, but it had left behind a thick layer of debris.
And everywhere there were reminders that the disaster had been far larger than anyone initially understood.
People stood silently looking at their neighborhoods.
Some cried.
Some stared.
Some immediately began cleaning.
Others simply didn’t know where to start.
