MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Tsunami victim reaches out to Aberdeen mayor

Sep 5, 2012, 5:02 AM | Updated: 1:46 pm

A 20-foot, open boat was found beached June 15, 2012 on Washington's Benson Beach at Cape Disappointment State Park festooned with hundreds of what state Fish and Wildlife officials said are gooseneck barnacles. (AP Photo/NOAA)

(AP Photo/NOAA)

What would you do if your most prized possessions were washed out of your home in a flood? How far would you go to try and track them down?

Think about that for a moment, and then put yourself in the shoes of the Japanese tsunami survivors, many of whom saw all of their possessions washed out to sea.

As The Daily World first reported, one of those survivors put pen to paper and reached out to Washington hoping to reclaim some of his lost items.

“To your seashore areas, have you been observing the floated materials,” Mr. Saito from Sapporo wrote to the Mayor of Aberdeen in a small postcard last month. “If you find some, please let me know any news,” the card continued.

At first, Mayor Bill Simpson thought it might be a joke. The card was only addressed to the mayor of Aberdeen, USA, and not him specifically, but once he read what Mr. Saito was looking for he realized it must be real.

“The one thing that hit me was a library card he’s looking for, and then he had another book that had a bunch of information that he was looking for also,” he said. “He’s 77-years-old and very concerned about his personal things.”

What makes Mr. Saito’s search seem so futile is that he didn’t realize that Aberdeen isn’t even on the coast, but Mayor Simpson passed his request on to the mayors of nearby coastal towns.

“We’re 24 miles from the ocean, and so the likelihood of it hitting Aberdeen is even slimmer,” he said. “I felt it important to notify my cohorts out in Ocean Shores and Westport to know of this in case something happened. They could find it.”

As he holds the letter and thinks of Mr. Saito’s desperate search, Mayor Simpson said it puts losing something into perspective.

“It’s hard to put yourself in somebody’s shoes who’s gone through a flood or tornado or a tsunami, but I realize in my life I have lost some valuable things and would do anything to get them back.”

To make sure Mr. Saito knows his postcard was received, Mayor Simpson had a friend who’s fluent in Japanese write a letter back to him. He included information about Aberdeen and where it is, and news that mayors on the coast have been alerted.

So far, the only confirmed piece of Japanese tsunami debris that has washed ashore in Washington is the small boat that arrived at Cape Disappointment State Park.

But Linda Kent with the Department of Ecology said beachcombers are finding more debris than usual.

“They’re finding some different things than what they would consider normal,” she said. “They’re finding more styrofoam and other odd items like mannequin parts. A lot of treated wood, plastic bottles. We’ve gotten some small appliances.”

In a targeted cleanup on 57 miles of Washington coastline in June, teams recovered 70 pickup truck loads of debris, though there’s no way to know how much of it actually came from Japan.

MyNorthwest News

Spanaway woman shot dead...

Kate Stone

Search for shooter continues after woman shot dead while driving in Spanaway

A 47-year-old woman was shot dead in Spanaway, causing her to hit another driver head-on early Wednesday morning.

48 minutes ago

nintendo redmond...

Frank Sumrall

Nintendo to lay off 86 Redmond employees this spring

Nintendo of America is laying off 86 contract workers in Redmond, beginning May 25, due to company reorganization.

2 hours ago

Everett boy missing...

Frank Sumrall

4-year-old Everett boy missing, police worried he’s in danger

Police and Search and Rescue crews are looking for a missing four-year-old boy they suspect could be in danger.

3 hours ago

Image: The awnings of a store advertise the sale of lottery tickets, including Mega Millions and Po...

Steve Coogan

Lottery jackpots update: Powerball prize jumps again after $1.1B Mega Millions win

A lottery jackpots update: The Powerball prize reached an estimated $935 million ahead of Saturday night's drawing.

12 hours ago

Photo: The Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center....

James Lynch

King County’s plan to close youth detention center met with fierce backlash

The King County Law and Justice Committee received a final report on Executive Dow Constantine's plan to close a youth detention center.

14 hours ago

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

16 hours ago

Tsunami victim reaches out to Aberdeen mayor