Schaumburg family tied to Japan, Hawaii

When Schaumburg resident Akemi Kawase spoke to relatives and friends in Japan Friday, they were still shaking after the initial earthquake and making preparations for aftershocks.

Meanwhile, her son Ellis — a freshman at the University of Hawaii at Hilo — was taking events where he was in stride.

“He’s a boy,” she laughed.

Kawase was able to speak with her mother-in-law in Ogaki, a town about 100 km from the hardest hit area of Japan.

Though there was no flooding or major damage in Ogaki, tremors from the initial earthquake were felt strongly, causing items in her home to shake and fall.

In response to a government warning of aftershocks, she was getting ready to go to a nearby school identified as a safe place to seek shelter. Though only about a five-minute walk away for most, Kawase said her mother-in-law uses a cane and expected the trip to take her a little longer.

Kawase also spoke to a friend who lives in a village closer to Tokyo. Her friend had already lost contact with her own son, who lives in Tokyo, due to downed communications there. She predicted that her own communications, and her ability to talk with Kawase in the United States, could be affected by aftershocks.

People in her friend’s village rushed to get money out of ATMs while they still functioned and to buy what they could from stores while they were still open, Kawase said.

Her son, who graduated from Schaumburg High School last year, took things easy Friday after his university campus in Hilo shut down as a precautionary measure.

“His dorm is close to the mountains, so he should be fine,” said Kawase. who’s

family has lived in Schaumburg for 20 years.

From home, she spent the day monitoring events on Japanese TV stations and other news sources, and continued to wait with concern for further word from her loved ones across the Pacific.