West Highland Free Press - Aftermath Reaction

Well, it appears that the battle for the front page of the WHFP has been won by Ollie the cat and the crofters of Lewis. The latest edition of the paper gives an update to the lives of West Highlanders who are trying to make a return to some form of normality (page 17).

The story reads:

West Highland ex-pats in Japan try to resume sense of normality

West Highland exiles in Japan were this week continuing to do their best to resume a sense of normality following the catastrophic earthquakes and tsunami of a fortnight ago, writes Keith MacKenzie.

Portree man Kane Davidson, who we last week reported had fled the country with his young daughter amid fears over radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, was preparing to return to Tokyo having spent the past seven days in Hong Kong with his brother Mark.

"The situation with the nuclear power station appears more stable, if not entirely under control," he said on Tuesday. "I will be ready to move again if the situation once again seems uncertain."

Press reports yesterday (Wednesday) said water supplies in some parts of the nation's capital were found to contain radioactive iodine levels twice the recommended safe levels. And Mr Davidson said tensions remained high.

"We all suspect more is to come," he said. "The primary concern remains the nuclear power station in Fukushima -a region where my family and I lived for four years. But there is also anxiety regarding the next big quake. The ex-pats in Tokyo certainly worry that the recent quake may be the precursor to a more devastating one in the Tokyo metropolis."

Meanwhile, Faye MacKenzie, who is from Dunvegan and works in the publishing industry in Tokyo, highlighted the stoic reaction of the Japanese people as the horrors unfolded.

"At present, I feel pretty safe here. I have my earthquake kit ready, know my evacuation points, and for the moment, radiation levels are normal, which is obviously the big concern," she said at the start of the week. "Otherwise, day-to-day life continues. My office is open and it's business as usual.

"If this was anywhere but Japan, I think I'd have gone straight home. Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, though, and despite the terrible loss of life up north I'm still amazed things weren't worse - it's been pointed out to me by many people that most lives were lost in the tsunami, and not the earthquake.

"Immediately after the quake phone lines were busy, but internet and email worked, and I was able to contact friends pretty quickly. Trains were cancelled, and traffic was gridlocked well into the night, so I ended up staying at work until about 10.30pm and walked home, along with thousands of others. It took about three hours, but was orderly and civilised and despite the gridlocked traffic, people were waiting for the green man to cross the road. Literally, this is the politest place on earth."