A/N: We're into the home stretch, folks. Just read a news report that said the UK and US SAR crews would be coming home shortly, so only a couple of more chapters to go. Will end this story at or shortly after John's homecoming.
The Personal Blog of John H. Watson
At The End
Day Six:
Ate rice. Running out of everything. Including rice. The medical staff is rationing severely. We can't even feed the patients. No supplies coming in because there's no fuel. Power still out to vast areas. The clean-up has started, so roads are finally being cleared to isolated areas, but there are still so many in shelters with no heat, little or no food. Many have not bathed since the earthquake for lack of enough clean water. So many have lost everything: homes, possessions, whole families. Sometimes it seems like there is no hope. But there are still the occasional stories of reunions of family members, and the clean-up has started, and that is the first step to recovery.
The search and rescue crews have called off the search and we will be leaving within the next couple of days, since there are no more survivors being found, only bodies. It is now becoming a recovery operation. There is little I can do, either, since the problems I'm seeing are caused by lack of supplies, and we have none, and so can't help. It's heartbreaking, but there is nothing else I can do except, perhaps, leave and let someone else have the resources I'm currently using. That's the one good thing about the radiation scare: people are leaving and lessening the strain on resources.
Still, I know I did all I could here, and it did help - immensely - and that's good enough for me. I am content.