December 9, 2011
I think this is important. “Three days after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan, I was at an evacuation center in Kawamata town, Fukushima, northern Japan, where residents who fled from areas nearby the Fukushima nuclear power plant were staying. The evacuation center, about 25-30 miles from the plant, was set up in a gymnasium of an elementary school where the floor was hard and the fluorescent light seemed to intensify the bitterness. Earlier in the day there was another explosion at the nuclear power plant, which added more burden and worries to those who had already lost their homes, families and their hometown. In this sort of environment, I wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible, so I used no flash and used a silent mode on my camera as I photographed. At the evacuation center, many people were quietly eating their small portion of distributed food, reading the papers, sleeping or just gazing. Some people broke in to tears as they told me their stories, or even offered me snacks as they were very compassionate despite their situation. As I walked through the packed room, I encountered a small boy playing with a blue balloon with his father. There were smiles on both of their faces. Obviously, the child didn’t understand the situation nor was worried about the future, but was enjoying that very moment, slowly bouncing the balloon back and forth with his father. Such a scene of daily life seemed so precious as their smiles stood out while others sat and slept among crumpled blankets.” Caption: A boy plays with a balloon at an evacuation center set in a gymnasium in Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture in northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2011/11/21/best-photos-of-the-year-2011/#a=65

I think this is important.


“Three days after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit northern Japan, I was at an evacuation center in Kawamata town, Fukushima, northern Japan, where residents who fled from areas nearby the Fukushima nuclear power plant were staying. The evacuation center, about 25-30 miles from the plant, was set up in a gymnasium of an elementary school where the floor was hard and the fluorescent light seemed to intensify the bitterness. Earlier in the day there was another explosion at the nuclear power plant, which added more burden and worries to those who had already lost their homes, families and their hometown.

In this sort of environment, I wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible, so I used no flash and used a silent mode on my camera as I photographed.

At the evacuation center, many people were quietly eating their small portion of distributed food, reading the papers, sleeping or just gazing. Some people broke in to tears as they told me their stories, or even offered me snacks as they were very compassionate despite their situation. As I walked through the packed room, I encountered a small boy playing with a blue balloon with his father. There were smiles on both of their faces. Obviously, the child didn’t understand the situation nor was worried about the future, but was enjoying that very moment, slowly bouncing the balloon back and forth with his father. Such a scene of daily life seemed so precious as their smiles stood out while others sat and slept among crumpled blankets.”

Caption: A boy plays with a balloon at an evacuation center set in a gymnasium in Kawamata, Fukushima Prefecture in northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2011/11/21/best-photos-of-the-year-2011/#a=65

5:08pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZpP0VyD0r3BT
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  1. xdirectionlessx posted this